Harry Potter and the Book of Souls
by The Hogwarts Four
Summary: Harry and the gang return for another year of School at Hogwarts after a suspiciously quiet fifth year. Unknowingly to all, a new chapter of Harry's past will be uncovered, revealing new allies and enemies alike. Chapter 8 is up Please RR!
1. The Attempt

Authors' Notes:  
  
RON: Yay, our first fic! Under this penname, anyway, lol. THIS IS NOT YOUR TYPICAL HP FIC. I will be writing as much romance into this story as I possibly can without getting-  
  
CHO: *THWAP*  
  
RON: I will be writing very little romance in this-  
  
HERMIONE: *THWAP*  
  
RON: There will be close to no romance in this fic. :: smiles from Cho and Hermione :: We are being as TRUE TO THE BOOKS as you can get while still being an AU fic. (AU 'cuz this is NOT the actual 6th book, lol.) Of course, we do not own Harry Potter. Ron and Hermione, though, are our literary slaves and.no, they're J.K. Rowling's too. L Oh, well, lol.  
  
HARRY: You guys have had your say. Enjoy the story! ~_^ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Chapter 1 -- The Attempt There was a blinding flash of green light. Next moment, Harry Potter was on his knees, clutching his burning scar and scrunching his bright green eyes tightly together, causing streams of tears to come out of his emerald orbs. He could hear the loud footsteps of the Dursleys rushing up the narrow stairs, causing the floorboards and the weak banister to creak loudly under the strain of their bulk. As Dudley furiously tried to squeeze his killer whale-sized body up the constricted passage, the railings gave into his enormous weight and a loud crunch could be heard as the banister collapsed. A petrified scream and several more rushed steps were heard before a loud bang told Harry that the Dursleys had locked themselves into a bedroom.  
  
Harry crawled upon his trembling knees before managing to pull himself onto the windowsill and glance outside. He could see an immense aura of green light that hung like a heavy mist around Number Four, Privet Drive. Nothing- not even a cat- was visible on the street below. Yet, as the emerald light pulsated, illuminating the deserted street, Harry could feel a throbbing pain as if a large fist was hammering his skull and a searing pain as if his scar was being branded onto his forehead.  
  
As soon as it had started, the pain and light had disappeared as if it had been a figment of his imagination. Knowing the perpetrator of the night's singular events, Harry quickly grabbed his quill and a scrap of spare parchment. Dipping his eagle-feathered quill into a small bottle of black ink, he began to write:  
  
Dear Professor Dumbledore, I'm not sure where to begin because of the many things running through my mind. A few minutes ago, I felt my scar hurting again, and by now, I know that it usually means that Voldemort is back in action. At the same time, I also saw an aura of green light surrounding my house. I've never seen anything like this before and it is why I'm writing to you.  
  
Do you think Voldemort is trying to kill me again after his one-year hiatus? Does this mean that he has returned? Why couldn't he break in? The green light looked like a force field protecting me, and for moments, it seemed that he almost broke through. At this point, he paused to think of how he should continue and whether he was justified in writing Dumbledore. Somehow he knew that Voldemort had tried to kill him that evening- again- so he continued.  
  
I do not think it's safe with the wizarding world lured into a false sense of security as it has been over this past year. It is clear that Voldemort is gaining power once again, and not everyone knows of his return. What should we do? I hope that things will turn out for the best.  
  
Harry  
  
Putting his quill down, Harry stood up slowly, stretching and yawning. He walked towards the large metal cage of his snowy owl, Hedwig and opened the door. She was comfortably snoozing with her head underneath her fluffy wing. As Harry gently stroked his pet on her neck, beckoning her to wake, Hedwig turned her head towards him, opened her large, inquisitive, yellow eyes, and hopped onto Harry's arm.  
  
"Hedwig, please take this letter to Professor Dumbledore. It is very urgent so go as fast as you can," Harry whispered to Hedwig as he tied his message onto her outstretched talon. She hooted softly with assurance and gently nipped him on the ear, before spreading her large, white wings. Harry led her to the small opened window and watched her take off his arm and fly into the cloudless night, disappearing over the shingled rooftops.  
  
A strong breeze entered the room as his gaze slowly turned to the dark sky- filled heavens. There was a gibbous moon in the sky, and Harry idly wondered where his former professor, Remus Lupin was at that moment. The stars were out in their full glory, as Harry gazed upward in a futile attempt to count all the points of light in the glowing band of the Milky Way. Mars was brighter than ever before, rising in the dark horizon and emanating it's hypnotic, blood red glow upon the Earth below.  
  
As his scintillating emerald orbs scanned the street outside, he looked down Magnolia Crescent and could make out his old babysitter's house. He unconsciously shuddered at the thought of all of old Mrs. Figg's numerous cats. He was just about to turn away, when out of the corner of his eye, he saw a cloaked woman at the end of the desolate street. He stared at her for a moment, when all of a sudden, the unmistakable Knight Bus popped into view. He watched the woman climb onto the triple-decker bus before it rolled off down the quiet street, making entire houses jump out of its way. He couldn't help but smirk at the view, recalling his own ride on the eccentric bus in his third year.  
  
He turned away from the open window, taking off his large, round glasses and kneaded the bridge of his nose to ease the receding pain that was still present on his forehead. Putting his glasses down on the bedside table, Harry decided to turn in early. Taking one last stretch and yawning, Harry crawled onto his small, moth-eaten bed, snuggling into his thin greenish blanket.  
  
Many things were running through Harry's mind as he tried to get some rest, but the last thing he muttered was, "Dumbledore will know what to do."  
  
Several hundred miles away, Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, showed no inclination of sleep, but paced the floor of his large, circular office. Professor Dumbledore periodically gazed out his large, ornately decorated, glazed windows. He peered out at the placid lake near Hagrid's cabin, which clearly reflected the gibbous moon, the luminous stars, and the gleaming presence of the fire planet, Mars. The former headmasters and headmistresses were gathered in a large frame, talking animatedly and playing a thrilling game of wizard chess.  
  
"Something is obviously not right," muttered Dumbledore to himself, ignoring the stentorian chatter around him, with his silver eyebrows knitted together and his piercing blue eyes in a pensive gaze. "Why did she say she was returning?"  
  
Fawkes, his fiery phoenix, cooed sympathetically and flapped his strong, enormous wings. Dumbledore smiled at his faithful pet before the sharp tapping of an owl on his large window facing the placid lake caught his attention. As Dumbledore approached the window to let the owl in, he recognized it as Harry's pet, Hedwig.  
  
"What are you doing here at this time of night, Hedwig?" he asked her curiously as he let her in. Hedwig clicked her sharp beak urgently and flapped her wings before sticking her leg out revealing a letter.  
  
"Is there anything wrong, Hedwig?" Dumbledore inquired, his concern growing at her unusual actions. Hedwig nodded as Dumbledore untied the letter and nudged his wrinkled hand with her curved beak.  
  
Dumbledore smiled at the owl's antics, reminding him of Fawkes when he had first met the rare and marvelous bird. His smile faded however, as he read Harry's letter and he immediately walked to his fireplace.  
  
Throwing some sparkling green floo powder into the fire, Dumbledore yelled "Remus Lupin!"  
  
The flames turned an acid green before a large popping sound filled the room as the head of the former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor came into view, floating amidst the green fire.  
  
"Good evening, Professor Dumbledore. What can I do for you?" Lupin asked politely even though he was a bit worried about being summoned so late at night.  
  
"The wards protecting Harry at his relatives' home are failing. Voldemort attempted to break the protection this evening and almost accomplished his goal. We must take Harry to a safer location."  
  
Throughout his news, the haggard face among the flames grew paler and gaunter. Lupin looked as though he aged several years and added several grey hairs to the collection already present on his scalp.  
  
"Padfoot and I will go first thing tomorrow to get him," he said firmly, "and bring him to Hogwarts."  
  
"That will not be necessary, Remus," said Dumbledore. "Harry may stay with Padfoot and yourself, with your consent of course."  
  
"All right, Professor," responded Remus. "Has the Order been informed?"  
  
"Not yet. Please tell the old crowd of the events and remind them of the meeting on Friday."  
  
"Yes, Professor." replied Lupin. "Goodnight."  
  
"Goodnight, Remus," replied Dumbledore, as he watched the face disappear from the flames with a pop.  
  
"Harry is right," Dumbledore mused ruefully as he began to restlessly pace the room again. "Voldemort is getting stronger and we need to be prepared."  
  
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So what did you guys think? Thumbs up? Thumbs down? Please R/R!  
  
P.S. - Yes, there are four of us co-authoring on this screen name (we are all over 13). Contact us with anything else besides reviews at the following stuffs:  
  
RON: email = ashsz@msn.com aim = Leboshi  
  
HERMIONE: email = bond284@hotmail.com aim = hedwig284  
  
HARRY: email = evilgoku3@hotmail.com aim = REvilgoku3  
  
CHO: email = lilysurfer@hotmail.com 


	2. The Branding

Authors' note:  
  
Harry: This is the shortest chapter in the Book of Souls but we really couldn't make this chapter very long; it needed to be short to be effective. It turned out to be longer after editing *makes happy face*.  
  
Cho: We don't own anything, so don't sue!  
  
Hermione: Thanks to all of those wonderful people who reviewed! Keep up with the good work and Review! (flames are welcome to roast our marshmallows, but we prefer constructive criticism)  
  
Ron: Ok, you guys. No romance yet but keep your eyes peeled for it. ::Gives puppy dog eyes:: Ahem I'm trying to convince my cohorts into adding some of it.  
  
Cho: *THWAP*  
  
Ron: Sorry. ANYWAYS, on with the story. Enjoy!  
  
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Chapter 2 -– The Branding   
  
Harry felt himself drifting as a forest surrounded by swirling dark mist came into his view. The evil that hung heavily in the almost suffocating air was palpable, giving him a prickling sensation on the back of his neck. He made out the silhouette of a large owl soaring silently beside him and a fox scurrying among the dense foliage below him. Harry did not know where he was going, but something told him to follow his animal companions.   
  
They continued on the seemingly endless path, until he heard an eerily familiar voice. A clearing came into view ahead of them, illuminated by the gibbous moon that hung low in the night sky. The crumbling figure of a fallen angel caught his attention as the owl and the fox parted ways from him, the former perched upon a high branch of a gnarled yew, while the latter took its place below at the foot of the tree.   
  
Harry felt himself being edged onward by invisible hands and continued through the clearing until he came onto an isolated slab of granite. He peered around anxiously through the countless slabs of rock and realized that he had landed on the largest one in the area. Harry looked down and saw with surprise the name "TOM RIDDLE" engraved upon the smooth surface in large, bold letters.  
  
'Why am I back here?' he thought to himself with apprehension, thinking back to the last time he was here during the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament.  
  
The murmurs Harry heard now grew louder and more distinct until four hooded figures appeared out of the swirling fog that had enveloped him some distance away. Moments later, the icy, high-pitched voice of the Dark Lord, Voldemort addressed his companions, sending shudders down his spine.  
  
"I see that you have once again lived up to your reputation, my slippery friend," said Voldemort quietly in his silkiest voice. "You have brought me someone of great importance— great indeed."  
  
"Yes, my lord, you are very kind," replied a voice that Harry immediately recognized as belonging to Lucius Malfoy as he bent down to kiss the hem of his master's robes.  
  
"As for you," Voldemort continued, turning towards a figure to his right who was cowering with fear. He gazed at the man with a reprimanding glare, piercing the smaller servant with his cold, crimson eyes.   
  
"Y-yes, m-m-master?" the figure replied hoarsely, shaking with terror.  
  
"You have been very disappointing to me, Wormtail," The Dark Lord continued, his eyes narrowing as if viewing a potential victim, "very disappointing indeed. Why were the wards not neutralized as I had expected?"  
  
"I-I am t-terribly s-sorry, master. W-we had encountered s-some difficulty w-with—"  
  
"Enough of your petty excuses. I placed you in charge of this mission in hopes that you had at least the competence to perform the perfectly simple task for me. Many Death Eaters would have given their right hands for the opportunity," Voldemort continued icily, causing Wormtail to wince, clutching onto his own silvery hand in desperation.  
  
"B-but m-master, Dumbledore—"  
  
"Do you think I care about that muggle-loving fool?" hissed Voldemort venomously. "He is weakened and blinded by his misplaced trust. Don't you ever suggest that he can ever be better than I, the conqueror of mortality!"  
  
"S-sorry, master—"  
  
"Crucio!"  
  
Nothing more could be heard except the agonizing screams that penetrated the fog, causing the leaves to rustle in the surrounding forest and the birds to flutter away from the evil that was present. Voldemort finally raised his wand to break the spell, leaving behind a crumpled body, now silent, quivering at his feet.  
  
"May that be a lesson to the rest of you," said Voldemort, turning to his companions. "Never disobey me."  
  
"No, master. Never, master," muttered the two figures, bowing respectfully.  
  
"Now, come forward, my son," Voldemort beckoned as his enormous snake, Nagini, slithered around below him. The cloaked figure standing behind Lucius nervously stepped forward and extended his left arm, trembling with fear as he gazed into the depths of the crimson eyes of the Dark Lord's serpentine face.  
  
"Young one, do you pledge your unconditional loyalty towards the cause of the Dark Mark?" Voldemort hissed. "Do you recognize me as your sole master and swear to obey my every command without question?"  
  
"Yes, master," replied the voice under the hood timidly. The voice sounded oddly familiar to Harry's ears, yet he could not make out to whom it belonged.   
  
The Dark Lord reached an emaciated arm into the depths of his billowing black robes and pulled out a long, slender rod of polished wood. He placed the tip of his wand onto the pallid, tremulous flesh of the figure's extended arm.   
  
Muttering the incantation, "Adstringo Morsmordre," Voldemort conjured a beam of radiant green light from the tip of his wand, singeing the pale skin. Screaming filled the air for a second time as the image of a snake emerging from a skull glowed acid green on the figure's left arm before turning coal black, forever etched onto his limb.  
  
Harry felt a searing pain on his scar and squeezed his eyes shut as he brought his right arm to his forehead. Instead of the sensation of clammy skin that Harry expected to receive, his fingers touched soft, downy feathers, and as he opened his incredulous eyes, he was stunned to see that his arm was replaced by a wing of fiery red.  
  
As Voldemort spoke, his harsh, high-pitched voice, caught Harry's attention once more. "You know what's best for you, my son. With me you will have power beyond your wildest dreams," said he. "And if what Lucius has told me is correct, you will prove to be very valuable to me."   
  
Harry could see Voldemort's face growing bigger. He made out what was supposed to be a lipless smile stretching across Voldemort's snake-like face. The Dark Lord's image grew larger and larger until it was all Harry could see. Merciless laughter penetrated his ears as Harry vainly attempted to keep himself from staring straight into Voldemort's crimson eyes and saw him slowly open his mouth and hiss, "Soon, you will be mine, Harry…"  
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Ron: So, what do you guys think? Please R/R! 


	3. Past and Present

AUTHORS' NOTES:  
  
HARRY: Well guys, another chapter is up....yay! Thanx to all those who reviewed!  
  
HERMIONE: By the way, "Adstringo Morsmordre" means "to bind the dark mark."  
  
CHO: No Cho Chang yet guys…we're saving the best for last! ~_^  
  
RON: …rather the worst for last!  
  
CHO: *THWAP*  
  
RON: *sobs head*…just kidding Cho… enjoy everyone!  
  
  
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Chapter 3 –- Past and Present  
  
"HARRY! Harry! Wake up!"  
  
Harry felt a strong pair of hands shaking his shoulders intensely as he awoke. The concerned faces of his godfather, Sirius Black, and his former professor, Remus Lupin met his unfocused eyes as he struggled to open them.  
  
"Harry, you scared us half to death with all your screaming," said Sirius concernedly.  
  
"Are you alright?" asked Lupin, with a clouded expression in his eyes.  
  
Harry looked apologetically at Sirius before saying, "I'm fine. It was just a nightmare."   
  
Sirius's next few words were lost as Harry became preoccupied with his recent dream. Harry's nightmare brought so many questions to his head that the presence of Lupin and his godfather, Sirius didn't seem to catch his attention for a moment.  
  
Harry quickly snapped out of his daze, however, as he heard the sound of his angry uncle bellowing, "WHAT IN BLAZES IS GOING ON HERE?!"   
  
Looking up, Harry saw his uncle turn towards his godfather and yell, "Who are you?!"   
  
Sirius grinned evilly and bowed deeply before saying, "Sirius Black, mass murderer, at your service. And this here is my werewolf friend, Remus Lupin."  
  
Harry had to fight the urge to chortle as he saw Uncle Vernon's skin turn from a shade of beet red to dull grey tinged with green.   
  
"Now I've heard a lot of things about you from my godson here…" Sirius began to say menacingly.  
  
"So you're that deranged godfather that useless little freak rants about all the time."  
  
Harry could see Sirius visibly bristle with barely restrained anger.  
  
"I knew all of you people were lousy excuses for humans like those two idiots, Lily and James who went and got themselves blown up." sneered Uncle Vernon.  
  
Despite his blood boiling with anger, Harry yelled out, "NOOO SIRIUS, YOU CAN'T!" as Sirius whipped out a wand and pointed it threateningly at Uncle Vernon.  
  
At seeing what Sirius was attempting to do, Lupin leaped towards Sirius and took hold of his arm saying, "Sirius, you know you're not supposed to do magic, let alone in front of muggles."  
  
"That muggle has no right to insult Lily, James, or Harry— especially in front of me!"  
  
"Sirius, they're the only family I have."  
  
At this, Sirius' fiery expression subsided, and he lowered his wand before looking at Harry, saying, "Alright Harry. For your sake." He then turned to Uncle Vernon with an even more menacing expression and yelled, "You'd better watch your back! Now get out of my sight before I change my mind!"  
  
Uncle Vernon scurried out of the small bedroom with amazing agility considering his enormous bulk. The petrified scream of Aunt Petunia could be heard from across the hall as Uncle Vernon entered the room and slammed the door behind him. Harry cleared his throat softly before turning to Sirius, saying, "So, what are you doing here?"  
  
There was a tense silence as Sirius and Lupin quickly glanced at each other. Then Sirius answered with a gentle voice, "Well, I couldn't miss my godson's birthday." Yet, the smile on Sirius' face quickly faded as he shifted slightly and spoke, "Dumbledore informed us about the letter you sent him last night. We've come to take you away from the Dursley's for the rest of the summer. You are no longer safe here."  
  
Harry was still in disbelief about what was happening. He had no idea that the letter he sent to Dumbledore would have had such extreme repercussions. He quickly stopped thinking about the letter, however, and focused on the words he had just heard. Harry wasn't sure whether to be glad about finally leaving the Dursleys or scared that Voldemort was alive and trying to kill him. All he could feel was numbness. Each day he had been hoping the Triwizard incident from fourth year was just a dream and that Voldemort wasn't truly alive. Now that this news had come to him, the shadow of insecurity the Dark Lord had left in the back of Harry's mind loomed over him and weighed heavily on his heart.  
  
"So what happens now?" Harry asked softly, staring distractedly at Hedwig's empty cage.   
  
"You're spending the rest of the summer with us — for you're safety of course." replied Sirius in an obviously fake cheerful voice. "Now where are all your things?"  
  
"They're in the cupboard under the stairs." Harry replied, disheartened.  
  
Sirius carefully descended the almost completely destroyed staircase into a small hallway lined with dozens of pictures of the Dursleys. As he stepped over a splintered piece of wood that used to be part of the banister, Sirius slowly opened the door to the cupboard under the stairs. He stretched his arm out and reached for the small light above, pulling the string-switch. As the light flickered on, Sirius looked down and saw his godson's trunk covered in a thick layer of dust. The trunk was sitting on a small, rusting bed frame, which was cushioned by an old moth-eaten blanket. Sirius picked up Harry's trunk and lifted it out of the small cupboard before heading back upstairs.   
  
"Is this everything?" Sirius asked as he closed the bedroom door behind him.  
  
Harry walked to his bed and reached under it to lift up a piece of loose floorboard. He pulled out a few items from his secret compartment, before saying, "Yeah, that's all of it." He replaced the wooden board with a creek and slowly straightened himself releasing a sigh of relief.   
  
  
Harry gazed out of his small window, and saw what was, without doubt, one of the most spectacular sunrises of all time. The sun was a huge orb of bright amber, with its golden rays glistening over the shadowed treetops. The light spread across the morning sky with a rich yellow glow, pushing back the darkness brought by night, and slowly tingeing the heavens with pink. A soft gentle breeze caressed his skin, chilling him as he smiled in awe at the beauty of the world around him.  
  
"So where are we going?" Harry asked calmly, turning back to look at his godfather.  
  
"It's a secret location where Lupin and I are staying." Sirius answered in a voice too innocent for Harry's liking.   
  
Deciding not to pursue the subject further, Harry grabbed the things he picked up from inside the floorboard and made for the door. He descended down the stairs with Sirius and Lupin in tow. He stepped outside and saw a Volkswagen Beetle. The white paint was starting to peel, revealing orange rust stains on the dented body of the car.  
  
"So what do you think about my car Harry?" said Remus as he approached behind. "I know it's not new, but it gets me around," he added as an afterthought. He took Harry's trunk to the front of the car and put it in the front compartment.  
  
"Well, get in, Harry." said Sirius as he came from behind Harry and opened the back door. Harry bent down and climbed into the small vehicle. As he peered into his new surroundings, Harry quickly closed his eyes before reopening them to make sure they were still working. The interior of the car was much larger than what he had expected from the outside view, and was covered with a wallpaper of pale yellow lilies that were continuously blooming, emanating a light, fragrant scent. The large, velvet covered chairs were soft and comfortable, making Harry sink into them as he sat down. The overstuffed scarlet cushions were embroidered with lions that roared softly as the engine roared into life.  
  
"Wow!" exclaimed Harry in awe, causing Remus to blush slightly as his face broke into a toothy grin from ear to ear.   
  
"I'll accept that as a compliment," he replied smugly and started the car down the street.  
  
Harry stared back at his former home one last time as it dwindled in the distance. It felt strange, knowing that he would no longer see what was his home for the past fifteen years. Despite all the harsh treatment he endured from the Dursleys, Harry couldn't help but feel a bit sad at the thought that he was leaving number four Privet Drive and the normalcy it encompassed. He mentally shook himself, returning his easily drifting thoughts to the impending journey. He couldn't believe it. Everything that Harry had hoped for since he discovered the truth about Sirius was finally happening. It wasn't just a dream anymore. He was actually in the back seat of Lupin's car, on his way to a new home — one in which he knew he would be loved.  
  
Sitting on the comfy back seat, Harry further examined his surroundings. The car seemed as if it was a small motor home on the inside. The back seat was large enough to be a bed; this somehow reminded Harry of the Knight Bus he had seen the night before. But right beside the bed was a small refrigerator with a radio on top. He moved closer to the refrigerator and took a good look at the radio. It was on, but the volume was very low. The tuner had words in place of the usual numbers Harry was accustomed to seeing on Uncle Vernon's radio. The small screen in front had the words Wizarding Wireless Network written on it in bold letters.  
  
Lupin looked at Harry through the rear view mirror and said, "You've been through a great deal today Harry. You should get some rest."  
  
"Alright." Harry said lying down, although he had no intention of falling asleep. He peered up at the ceiling and realized that it was enchanted to imitate the outside sky, which reminded him of the ceiling in the Great Hall. As he gazed at the roof of the car he found himself picking out shapes from the puffy clouds. Harry made out the shape of a cat, which reminded him of the orange-striped feline Crookshanks that belonged to his best friend Hermione Granger. As the car continued to move, Harry picked out shapes of other animals such as toads, Hippogriffs and even a stray potato-like garden gnome which brought a smile to his face as it reminded him of his past adventures at Hogwarts and of his best friend Ron Weasley.  
  
The clouds gradually darkened as they passed into the suburb. New shapes began to form. Three clouds appeared more prominently than the rest, forming into the shapes of several animals familiar to Harry. As he traced the moving figures in the sky, Harry imagined them to be the famous Marauders from his father's time in their animal forms, playing together without a care in the world. This made Harry miss his friends even more, causing the familiar ache in his heart for the magical realm to reappear.   
  
With the ache still present like a pressure on his chest, Harry's thoughts returned to his nightmare. He remembered with curiosity the bright vermilion wing that had replaced his arm in the dream, and pondered at its ramifications. Another memory, this time of his two animal companions, flitted into his mind.  
  
When his gaze returned to the sky, it seemed as if it was mirroring his thoughts, because the ghostly figure of a bird accompanied by two other creatures appeared above him. Although he couldn't distinguish one of the figures, the other one looked unmistakably like the fox in his dream. His thoughts soared alongside the figures in the sky until the car shuddered to a halt.  
  
"We're here," Remus announced.  
  
  
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HARRY: So what did you guys think? Please R/R! 


	4. The Best Birthday

Disclaimer: WE OWN NOTHING!!  
  
AN:  
  
CHO: Thank you all once more for reviewing our fic. This is a lot more popular that we'd originally thought it would be!  
  
HARRY: That's cause it's about me...  
  
CHO: *THWAP*  
  
RON: ....ANYWAYS, thanks to all of our reviewers. Raven, don't look at me about the fox thing, Hermy wrote that.  
  
Hermione: ::grins:: You'll find out soon enough ::winks:: it's a surprise. Oh, by the way, COOKIES TO ANYONE WHO CAN GUESS THE MYSTERIOUS DEATHEATER ::goes off to bake a bunch::  
  
Ron: Foofie, love your name, there are 4 of us total, but we'lre keeping it coming.  
  
Thanx sooooooooo much to Color of Dusk, Hermione HP, Raven, Christian, and ESPECIALLY AsuraHime. Mr. Anonymous, my deepest apologies, but if I can tie up Hermione and Cho in some distant corner in order to achieve some good, quality SLASHINESS, it'll be Ron/Hermione and MAYBE Harry/Cho. The Hogwarts Four have spoken (yes, tremble in fear) and those were the pairing upon which we decided. Ummmm, if we write another fic here (not related to Book of Souls), I'll prolly throw in some Harry/Hermione, cuz that's my second favorite pairing. Might even do a spin-off of Heaven's if she'll let me, lol.  
  
HARRY: Jeez, Ron, don't you need to take a breath?  
  
HERMIONE & CHO: :: glaring :: Don't you need to take a hike?  
  
RON: :: smiles innocently :: On with the story!  
  
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"Chapter 4 - The Best Birthday  
  
Harry shook himself from his reverie and looked out the window. He almost leapt through the roof of the car, for Ron's ecstatic face was already pressed against the window as he turned. He mouthed a "Happy Birthday," to which Harry could only laugh. Ron's nose was flattened against the glass, and his hot breath was steaming the window up.  
  
"Hey, you!" Remus jumped out of the car and ran to Ron as he watched in mock horror. "My precious car! That cost me four hundred fifty galleons, you know!" The blood drained from Ron's face, which made him stand out even more. His pallid face clashed violently with his bright red hair as he stood awaiting reprimand.  
  
Remus only burst into laughter. "I'm just kidding, Ron! It's all right; it's a piece of junk anyway. The only thing keeping it running is a magicked engine." Ron breathed a deep sigh of relief, and the colour started coming back to his cheeks. Harry joined in Remus' laughter, and fell onto his back in the seat of the car.  
  
"Oh, come on, Harry! I've got something to show you!" Ron opened the creaking door cautiously, still glancing at Remus to make sure he was still in good humour. Harry tried to climb out of the car, only to find Ron staring down at him with a fake pout on his face and his hands on his hips. Harry was desperately clutching his sides to keep himself from bursting into another wave of laughter as Ron finally decided to drag him out of the car.  
  
"Stop, stop, that hurts!" he gasped through his writhing convulsions of hysteria. When he was finally able to subdue his overwhelming mirth, he attempted to get out of the car. He found it still took a great amount of effort to keep from bursting into another spell of the giggles at the sight of Remus, but he was able to restrain himself as Ron led him into the Burrow. Ron kept running ahead of Harry like an overly excited pet dog as he pulled open the door to see the Weasleys awaiting his arrival inside.  
  
Mrs. Weasley gave him a hug that constricted his circulation to the point where Harry thought every last drop of blood had stopped in its tracks. He was able to thank her as he was released from her vice grip when he couldn't feel his feet anymore. He saw Ginny greet him with a shy wave from the corner of the room before turning to see Fred and George. Something in their large, identical grins told him that they were up to their usual antics. Percy was nowhere to be seen, but Bill and Charlie were there to wish him a happy birthday. Fred and George came up and patted him on the shoulder as they discreetly slipped something into his pocket. Harry had a feeling he didn't want to know what it was, nor did Mrs. Weasley, who caught the sly act by chance. With her piercing eyes, she drew Fred and George to her, where she made them relinquish what seemed like endless novelties and gags from their pockets, which Harry was sure they had bewitched for the occasion.  
  
"Come and see all the presents you've got!" exclaimed Ron and he started jumping up and down beside his friend in ecstasy. He quickly subsisted, however, at the glare from his mother.  
  
"Ronald Weasley, Harry's going to open his presents AFTER he eats his birthday cake," she insisted as she made her way into the small, brightly lit kitchen, followed by the rest of the Weasley procession and Harry.  
  
The kitchen was just as Harry remembered it from his previous visits, with its usual clutter. There were a myriad of pots and pans on a magical stove and many more cluttered haphazardly in a nearby sink. The grandfather clock was still placed on the wall, showing all the Weasleys at home, with the exception of Mr. Weasley, whose hand was pointing at work.  
  
All these things Harry noticed later, but at the moment, his eyes were glued onto a gigantic mound of chocolate cake that had so many layers that it almost touched the ceiling of the small, stuffy room.  
  
"Well, what do you think?" asked Mrs. Weasley proudly as she looked at Harry's astonished gaze with amusement.  
  
"It's amazing!" he breathed in amazement and awe. "I.I can't believe this is all.for me." He'd never even imagined a birthday party this elaborate, even if it was only the Weasleys celebrating with him. Harry wished his fellow classmates, even Colin, could be there as well. The Weasleys were more of a family than anything Harry had ever had after Voldemort took away the happy future that could have been.  
  
Harry had only gotten the occasional stale cookie, if even that much, from the Dursleys. Now he was celebrating his sixteenth birthday, the best ever, in his opinion, with his best friends, a humungous chocolate cake, and, as he noticed it for the first time, a huge pile of boxes wrapped in wrapping paper with photographs in the traditional style of the wizarding world. He noticed the Chudley Cannons, streaking throughout the papers in their trademark orange robes, on one of the boxes. Albus Dumbledore himself even adorned the box with which Ron was running toward Harry and pulling him into the hallway.  
  
"Here, Harry, open mine first! My mum doesn't have to know you opened it," Ron whispered with a grin. Harry carefully unwrapped the present, cautious not to tear along Dumbledore's already creased face. The image of the professor smiled back at Harry with relief.  
  
"Oh, hurry up already, Harry!" exclaimed Ron. He took hold of the package and ripped off every last shred of paper in his impatience. Harry looked back at him aghast and confounded, as did the many shreds of what used to be the wizened professor.  
  
Harry took the package back, a little cautiously just to be sure, and lifted the lid. He was surprised to see a burst of bright orange confetti fly out at him with a bang that resounded throughout the room like a canon blast, followed by robes of the same color with the Chudley Cannons logo. They floated out of the box and assumed the shape of a body. Harry couldn't decide which was better: the robes themselves or the enchantment by which they were suspended.  
  
"That's bloody brilliant!" Harry said in the tradition of his good friend. "How on Earth did you pull that spell off?" He was wholeheartedly amazed at the robe, which was now flying about the room as though on a broomstick playing Quidditch. Ron only smiled, proud of himself that Harry liked his present.  
  
At that moment, however, Mrs. Weasley stepped into the room to announce that the birthday celebration was about to begin.  
  
Staring up at the robe that was still flying in great circles close to the ceiling, Mrs. Weasley said exasperatedly, "Oh, Ron," as she threw her arms into the air and rolled her eyes in a way that reminded Harry immensely of Hermione, before making her way to the dining room. Harry and Ron shared a glance, before bursting into hysterical laughter for the second time that morning, and followed Mrs. Weasley to the dining room.  
  
When Harry stepped into the brightly lit dining room, which appeared much larger than the last time he saw it, he was amazed to see Sirius, Remus, and the rest of the Weasleys already sitting around a large, rectangular oak table. Ron led Harry to the head of the table, where a large chair with a vermilion cushion stood. Harry remained standing for a while, with his hands in his pockets, unsure of what to do.  
  
"Well, sit down Harry! This is your day!" exclaimed Ron, as he took a chair to his right. Harry followed his friends' example and sat down, still acting slightly nervous as he looked around the table. Mrs. Weasley had stopped at nothing in the preparation of the piles of food that filled the table, making the legs of the table below groan in complaint. The variety and the scrumptiousness of the food would have even made the Hogwarts house elves jealous. There was a stack of cookies with large chunks of chocolate that flashed in vivid rainbow colors right next to a large plate of gingerbread men who were making snow angels in the powdered sugar. In front of him sat his huge birthday cake adorned with 16 floating candles that burned with red and gold sparks shooting out of them.  
  
"Make a wish, Harry," said Sirius, who sat beside him.  
  
Harry looked at the table to think of an appropriate wish. 'What on Earth could I wish for?' he thought to himself. This had been the first time that he had been this happy; it seemed inappropriate to ask for more. His thoughts then slipped once again to his dream, and he realized that it wasn't fair for him to be so happy knowing the danger that faced the rest of the wizarding world.  
  
Harry closed his eyes and wished with all his heart that his enemy, Lord Voldemort, were never evil, so that his parents would have been here to share his joy and see what kind of person he had become.  
  
Opening his eyes once again, Harry took a deep breath and blew out all the candles with a single breath.  
  
"Wow, Harry!" exclaimed Ron as he clapped with the rest at the table. "Now your wish is really going to come true."  
  
"Maybe." Harry shrugged and turned to grab a chocolate chip cookie that had been enchanted to flash in different colours. After he ate it, Ron told him to open his mouth. Harry looked into the reflective wrapping paper on another of the gifts to see that the enchantment had worn off onto his tongue.  
  
"Wow, that's bloody brilliant! I had to take my mum's word that they did that." Ron quickly grabbed a handful of the cookies for himself and shoved them carelessly into his mouth. Mrs. Weasley handed the cake knife to Harry, who was laughing as the charm from the cookies spread throughout Ron's horrified face, to cut the cake in honour of his birthday.  
  
******  
  
Hermione: So, what do you think?? Please tell us any comments and questions when you review!! 


	5. Prank Wars

Authors' Notes:  
  
Cho: Thanx to all those wonderful reviewers! We appreciate your comments! Oh…and we had a kick reading all those guesses on who the new death eater is…but that's all we're gonna say for now…*grins evilly*  
  
Ron: Hehehehe….here's where the story gets better! The twins sure do get to show their talents!…and of course there's more of me! *smirks*  
  
Cho: *Thwap*  
  
Hermione: Finally….some Hermione in the story! Didn't you guys miss me???  
  
Harry: Yep…we did miss you Hermione! *Hermione raises eyebrow*….what?!?!….we did miss you!  
  
Cho: Anyways…..on with the story! Enjoy everyone!  
  
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Chapter 5 - Prank Wars  
Throughout the meal, Harry had noticed Fred and George in a deep conversation of hushed tones and suspicious gestures, with a grin plastered on each of their identical freckled faces. Harry suspected that they were caught up in their own mischievous world once more as he saw them glancing surreptitiously at the partygoers. Harry's attention was averted just as he was about to question their thoughts by a loud knock at the door.  
  
"I'll get it!" Ron announced loudly as he leapt from his chair with sugar from the cookies coursing ever faster through his veins. He attempted to grab Harry by the arm and pull him to the door with him, but in his hurry, he missed and got only Harry's sleeve. Before he could stop himself, Ron had pulled Harry out of his chair and had dragged him halfway across the kitchen floor by his sleeve.  
  
"Ron! Ron! Stop, you'll rip me in two, you prick!" Mrs. Weasley was torn between glaring at Harry's use of language and Ron's overexcited behavior.   
  
"Oops! Sorry, mate." Ron helped Harry up and brushed the dust from his shirt with a sheepish grin.  
  
"Remind me never to give you anything with sugar again," said Harry with a raised eyebrow and a mock glare as the two proceeded to the front door, which had just been knocked impatiently again.  
  
"We're coming! Hold on!" shouted Ron as he opened the door with a frown. His anger melted away as he saw the impatient form of Hermione, who had her hands on her hips and was tapping her foot irritably on the welcome mat.  
  
"Honestly, Ron! Don't you even know how to get the door? And what in the name of Merlin happened to you, Harry? You look as if you were dragged half way across the living room! Oh, and happy birthday, by the way" Hermione smiled pleasantly at the dark stares her friends were giving her.  
  
"Well, aren't you going to invite me in?"  
  
"Hermione!" exclaimed Mrs. Weasley as she came up from behind the boys, "you're just in time for Harry's birthday party. How was your summer, dear?"  
  
Hermione took off the heavy backpack from her slumped shoulders with a thud. "Hello, Mrs. Weasley. We had to cut our holiday on the Continent short because mum got a bad fever in Italy and lost her voice in Lithuania."  
  
"Oh, my!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, putting her hand over her mouth. Ron rolled his eyes behind his mother.  
  
"It's alright, Mrs. Weasley. She's feeling much better now that we're home, and she's seen an excellent doctor for counsel." Hermione smiled warmly for extra measure to keep Mrs. Weasley from another spell of irreversible worry. Mrs. Weasley seemed satisfied and led Hermione into the kitchen. Ron and Harry, whom Mrs. Weasley seemed to have forgotten, followed closely without being able to get a word in edgewise to Hermione. Ron offered her a Technicolor cookie the moment Mrs. Weasley left her side.  
  
"Careful, 'Mione. She can keep up a conversation for hours," cautioned Ron wearily. "We were just about to cut the cake. Come have some!" The trio ran back to the table.  
  
Hermione took a chair from the other side of the room, wishing that she could summon it to her outside Hogwarts. She joined the table between Harry and Ron and found three of the cookies piled onto her plate. She turned to Ron, who was grinning wildly, but thought the better of commenting and sighed before turning her attention back to Harry.  
  
Harry sunk the knife into the cake, which oozed dark melted chocolate like blood upon contact with the blade. Hermione's eyes got wide; even though her parents were dentists, chocolate was one of her favorite treats. Harry smiled as he placed a rather large chunk of the cake onto her plate and handed it to her. He handed out cake to the Weasleys before serving himself a small slice. Although Hermione was the quintessence of etiquette at all times, her cake was gone before Ron even got the chance to taste his.  
  
"Blimey, Hermione, what happened to your cake!?" asked Ron incredulously. Hermione responded only with a large grin. She dabbed at the corners of her mouth with her napkin innocently even though there were no vestiges of chocolate anywhere on her face. Ron stared at her for a moment, then turned to his own cake and began to attempt the same, devouring it in only a few bites. Rather than eating the cake, though, most of it ended up on his face. Hermione gave him a reprimanding glare and handed him a tissue with disgust.  
  
She then noticed the meager slice Harry served himself and proceeded to cut a piece twice as large as any others, including her own, and slopped it onto his plate. He stared at her in disbelief as though to say, "You expect me to eat all that!?" She smiled sweetly as he continued to gawk at her.  
  
After everyone had finished, Harry stood to collect all of the plates, only to be stopped by Mrs. Weasley, "Oh no, dear. Don't worry about it. This is your day, you don't need to do any chores here!" Harry sat back down unsure of what to do next, when a loud bang rang through the room. The next moment, he caught sight of Sirius on the floor, clutching his stomach, which sounded suspiciously like it was bubbling. A pop resounded the room as, to everyone's surprise, Harry's godfather was replaced by what seemed to be a small stuffed puppy.  
  
It barked a few times in a high squealing voice before saying, "Hi, I'm Poochie! Will you be my friend?!"   
  
The kitchen exploded with laughter, with the exception of Mrs. Weasley who simply glared at the twins who were smiling innocently in the corner of the room.  
  
"I see you've lost your touch there, Padfoot!" Lupin exclaimed between outbursts of laughter. He wiped a tear from his eye while struggling to hold himself upright at the table. The puppy turned and growled slightly in its high-pitched voice, looking at the former professor with icy eyes.  
  
"FINITE INCANTATEM!" yelled Mrs. Weasley pointing her wand at the cute little puppy. There was a flash of light before the now disheveled looking Sirius reappeared. He silently returned to his seat, casting evil glares upon everyone, especially the twins who were smirking furtively back.  
  
"Oh shut it, Moony!" said Sirius scathingly. "At least I didn't laugh at you when Prongs turned your hair pink for a month in the middle of Potions class. The sight of a pink werewolf running around the Forbidden Forest even scared all the acromantulas away!"  
  
At this, Remus quieted down, blushing furiously before turning to the twins. "You'd better be careful from now on, boys. You don't know who you're meddling with! Before this day is done, you'll be begging mercy from him!"  
  
The twins looked at each other in disbelief before turning to Sirius and Lupin and calling out together, "Did you say, Padfoot, Moony, and Prongs?!?! The Famous Marauders?! The gods of mischief-making?!"  
  
Remus and Sirius stood from their chairs and bowed deeply with much twirling of their hands, announcing "Messrs. Moony and Padfoot, at your service."  
  
Fred and George smirked a little before sharing identical Cheshire-cat grins on their faces. "Well, dear Marauders, your time of head mischief makers is at an end, for we are Gred and Forge, the masters of Weasley Wizard Wheezes!" The two then mimicked their older counterparts by bowing extravagantly with flourish.  
  
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "We'll see about that!"  
  
The four stormed out of the room, each pair going their separate ways to plan more havoc on the other.  
  
"This should be good," Ron leaned back in his chair before grabbing another cookie.  
  
  
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Cho: Please read and review! 


	6. Crystals and Gold

A/N:  
  
Hermione: My dearest apologies to all of you! Ron was slowing us down a bit. :: scowl in Ron's general direction :: He's been insisting on writing that romance fic.  
  
Harry: I like it!  
  
Hermione: You're not getting shagged senseless.  
  
Ron: We'll see about that.  
  
Cho: ::THWAP::  
  
Ron: OWWWWWWWWW. You witch.oh, wait, you are quite LITERALLY.ummmm.PSEUDO- CHINESE!!!!  
  
Cho and Hermione: :: glare :: :: THWAP ::  
  
Harry: Let's be civilized and come off it, you three!  
  
Ron: Anyway :: sticks tongue out and rubs head :: thanks to ALL of you for reviewing! It's like chocolate-- can't get enough of it! Thanks so much!  
  
Cho: Now here's the next chapter for those of you who are opposed to Ron's belief that patience is a sin. Please R/R!  
  
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Chapter 6-Crystals and Gold  
  
"Now is the time that we've all been waiting for the opening of the gifts!" announced Mrs. Weasley as the rest of the family made it back to the living room.  
  
Hermione rushed out into the hallway and returned with a small, cylindrical package wrapped with shiny blue paper adorned with golden snitches with buzzing wings that were zooming freely around. As he held the present close, he thought he could hear a faint buzz behind him and turned around only to find the empty kitchen with the piles of empty plates still stacked on the large, roughly hewn wooden table.  
  
"Happy Birthday, Harry!" Hermione gave Harry a quick hug before handing him her present.  
  
Harry slowly unwrapped the paper, careful not to rip any of it. Inside he found a round box of azure velvet and gold stripes. He cautiously took the lid off the box and found three small, gleaming, diamond-like crystals on top of a tiny blue cushion. Harry had no idea what these things were. His mystified expression noticeably gave Hermione a proud feeling.  
  
"These are trakto crystals, "Hermione began to explain with her customary perspicacious tone. "I got them at a magic store in Latvia. They are very new and useful." Hermione paused and smiled at Harry and Ron who still had no idea how these miniscule crystals could be useful. "They serve," Hermione continued, "as communicators and locators. As long as you have one of these crystals, you'll be able to talk to, and locate, Ron and myself wherever we are."  
  
"Wicked!" exclaimed Harry and Ron in amazement.  
  
"Of course, Ron and I must have a crystal too. We can always keep in touch now, Harry. And look, they attach to the bottom handle of our wands!"  
  
Hermione demonstrated by grabbing one of the trakto crystals and placing it on the bottom handle of her wand. It immediately fused onto it and radiantly sparkled a bright blue light in the unlit room. Harry and Ron did the same, watching as their wands glowed green and red, respectively, staring at the crystals for a moment with an eagerness to test them out. As the light slowly began to fade, a glint of gold caught his eye, but as soon as he tried to get a closer look, the light had vanished.  
  
"Lets go out and try them!" yelled Ron excitedly, jumping up and darting towards the door, unaware of the gleam of golden light.  
  
"Hold it right there, Ron!" called out Mrs. Weasley, "Harry must open his other presents first. There will be plenty of time to try out the tracting crystals later!"  
  
"They're called trakto crystals, mum." exclaimed Ron in a disappointed tone.  
  
"Never mind that. Let's get to another present." Mrs. Weasley said huffily.  
  
Next, to everyone's astonishment, Ginny sheepishly came up to Harry and handed him a small, rectangular package wrapped in gift paper that had unicorns prancing around.  
  
"Thank you, Ginny," said Harry as he looked up from his careful unwrapping, causing her face to flush bright red in embarrassment.  
  
"I hope you like it," Ginny replied meekly as she shifted her weight nervously from foot to foot.  
  
"I'm sure I will."  
  
Harry carefully folded up the gift-wrap, and turned his attention back to the present, which was currently enclosed in a small rectangular box made of vermilion velvet. He carefully opened the box, which revealed a golden pendant. Looking closer, Harry saw that it was in the shape of a phoenix. The fiery bird had ruby encrusted eyes and appeared to be in the middle of flight. As Harry continued to gaze at the phoenix, he was amazed to see the bird flap its wings once and wink at him.  
  
"Wow, Ginny! It's wonderful!!"  
  
"I'm glad you like it." With a sudden impulse, Ginny came up to Harry and surprised him by giving a quick hug, inducing catcalls from Ron and the twins, who had just entered the living room. The youngest Weasley hastily pulled away, blushing, and walked back to her former position by the mantelpiece.  
  
Fred and George then stepped forward, bowing extravagantly. "We, the best purveyors of mischief," they recited in unison as they sneaked a sly glance at Sirius and Remus, who had just entered the room, "proudly present to you a sample of our newest creations from the Weasley Wizard Wheezes, made possible by a certain benefactor, who shall remain nameless."  
  
Bowing deeply again, the two waved their hands mysteriously before brandishing a large basket tied with violet and orange-stripped ribbon. Harry cautiously placed the basket on a nearby coffee table, wary of all the practical jokes within the flamboyant container.  
  
"Err. I'm not sure what to say. Thanks. I suppose," Harry said politely, still eyeing the closed box nervously.  
  
"Our pleasure, old chap," George announced, while Fred nodded fervently as the twins patted the younger boy on the back.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw another peculiarly wrapped parcel, which caught his attention. When she noticed his curiosity with the gift, Mrs. Weasley explained: "Yeah, that one's for you too. I made it myself and Arthur tried to wrap it the muggle way."  
  
After hearing this, Harry knew immediately that it would either be some sort of food or clothing- Mrs. Weasley was always complaining about the state of his clothes or pushing Harry to eat more helpings of food during his stays at the Borrow. Despite this, Harry picked up the parcel and started to open it. Upon closer inspection, Harry saw that the gift was covered in layers of Daily Prophet publications with globs of duct, masking, and scotch tape covering the newspaper. After several minutes, Harry realized that Mrs. Weasley had a wand and politely asked her to cut open the wrapping for him, saving his fingers- hurt from vain attempts to unwrap the gift himself, without ripping the newspaper- from more suffering, since Hermione was the only one who had even heard of scissors.  
  
"I don't think he wrapped it quite right," Mrs. Weasley mused, looking at Harry's now red, throbbing fingers thoughtfully.  
  
As he had expected, the many layers of newspapers had uncovered to reveal a pair of long, woolen socks. Harry pulled them out to reveal the Hogwarts emblem embroidered intricately on its sides, which showed up prominently against the scarlet background. After making a closer examination, Harry noticed that the symbols from each of the houses were making faint sounds, and Harry could discern the cawing of a raven, the roaring of the lion, the hissing of a snake, and the growling of the badger amongst the ruckus of the of the twins.  
  
"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said amusedly.  
  
"I'm glad you like it, dear," Mrs. Weasley replied with a warm gleam in her eyes. "There's a secret to these socks," she continued, leaning in closer. "The socks are charmed so they change to the colour of the house of whoever touches it."  
  
"That's brilliant!" Harry exclaimed brightly as he carefully set down the gift on the mantel above some dried spots of honey beside a large jar of sparkling floo powder.  
  
Suddenly, a buzzing sound from somewhere to his right caught Harry's attention. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry could see a metallic flash of gold zooming towards him. With his seeker reflexes kicking in, Harry stuck out his hand and deftly plucked the flying projectile out of the air. Bringing the object up closer to his face, Harry could see a pair of fluttering golden wings struggling under his fingers. A chorus of gasps echoed across the room as Harry turned around.  
  
"I was wondering when you'd catch it," came Sirius's amused voice from beside him. "It sure took you long enough." Harry shot an awestruck glance at his godfather, a feeling of happiness bubbling from within. "Happy birthday, Harry!" Sirius continued. "I hope you like the present."  
  
Harry opened his fist to reveal the scintillating body of an ornately carved golden snitch. As he ran his fingers across the fine etchings, Harry saw the name of his father, "JAMES POTTER" engraved intricately into the design on the snitch's surface.  
  
"I love it!" Harry cried in excitement. He watched as the snitch pulled its small, rapidly-beating wings into its surface. The seemingly innocent golden sphere rested peacefully in Harry's hand, but he knew that he'd probably be chasing the little bugger around the Burrow before he left if he didn't put it somewhere secure. It wasn't the snitch he worried aboutit was everything else in the Burrow.  
  
"I feel like playing some Quidditch," Harry mused, imagining what he'd be able to do with his own snitch. He'd be able to hone his skills on the Quidditch field over the rest of the summer before he'd return to Hogwarts once more.  
  
"We can have a quick match later," commented Ron offhandedly as he grinned knowingly at Harry. "Wow, Harry. I didn't know that your dad had his own snitch," he came up and looked over Harry's shoulder, beaming at the new present.  
  
"Well, James was the best seeker and the Gryffindor team captain in his time, you know," Sirius announced smugly. "He was a brilliant flyer, was old Prongs," he continued, reminiscing about his Hogwarts days with his best friend.  
  
"Every single Quidditch team captain received a special snitch with their name engraved upon it upon graduation," Lupin clarified, after seeing a few bemused looks. "It was quite a treasured gift that most of them received. Speaking of which, this is my present. I hope you like it," Remus Lupin said smiling amusedly, handing Harry a neatly covered gift, which he easily recognized as being some sort of book.  
  
Harry examined it for a moment then looked up at the former professor with a puzzled expression. Everyone in the room was patiently starring at Harry, waiting for him to open his gift. As with his other presents, Harry carefully removed the wrapping. To his surprise, he found a locked diary, tied with a scarlet ribbon that held a golden key. Harry untied the ribbon with care and read the gilded inscription on the front cover, which said, "THE DIARY OF LILY EVANS".  
  
"It was your mum's diary Harry. I kept it all this time and waited for the right moment to give it to you. I've never opened it," Lupin explained with watery eyes that betrayed the smile he had on his face. "Happy birthday, Harry."  
  
Harry was in disbelief for a couple of minutes. The room was still and quiet too - this diary was an unexpected gift from his former professor. Even Sirius was surprised, he never knew of Lily's diary. The only thing Harry had from his mother, besides her scintillating emerald eyes, was a picture book Hagrid had given him some years back. Now, mixed emotions of sadness and curiosity ran through Harry's entire body. He had the urge to open the diary and begin reading it that instant, hoping to discover things about his mother's personality. However, this wasn't the best time; he still had many more presents to open and he wished to be alone when he read it.  
  
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Ron: Please review, everyone! That chapter wasn't exactly as long as we wanted it, but Hermione was being a  
  
Hermione: ::THWAP THWAP THWAP::  
  
Harry: :: laughing :: Please review, as Ron said. We'll try to have the next chapter up as soon as we can, but you know how we are :)  
  
Cho: We also post on Schnoogle, in case you wanna look there, too :) Thanks, m' dears! 


	7. Let the Games Begin

Authors' Notes:  
  
Hermione: We are all very sorry for the long delay.  
  
Ron: But I'm sure they'll all agree it was worth the wait!... Except there's still no romance!  
  
Hermione & Cho: *Thwap*  
  
Ron: *Rubs head*  
  
Cho: Thanx to all who reviewed.we really appreciate it!  
  
Harry: Yep! You guys are what keeps us going!  
  
Ron: I dare you to find some errors!  
  
Cho: .we went over this sucker four times!  
  
Harry: .We're not perfect, guys!  
  
Hermione: From now on.we'll try not to take over 4 months to post! Enjoy!  
  
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Chapter 7- Let the Games Begin  
  
Harry was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of footfalls on the stairs in the hallway. "You've got one more before we can move on," Bill's voice resounded in the corridor. Harry turned his gaze toward the door just in time to see Percy following Bill and Charlie who were bringing him his final gift-the biggest one yet. Draped in swirls and curls of ribbon, the rectangular white paper wrapped-box floated his way like a cloud in the sky. Harry, seeing the intricate design of the paper and the tedious job of decorating Bill and Charlie did on his present, took extra care in opening it, leaving everyone in silent, gawking stares with all impatient eyes on him. As each piece of wrap slowly slid off the box, the anticipation in the room became more and more palpable, until, finally the entire gift revealed itself with climatic epiphany. A puff of neon orange smoke burst out of the box as hisses of popping bright crimson, fluorescent pink, and midnight metallic blue fireworks blazed in the air.  
  
Smoke and fireworks continued to pour endlessly into the room, much to the disapproval of Mrs. Weasley, who shook her head disapprovingly just imagining what it would take to clean afterwards. Beyond the thick, dazzling display flying from the box, Harry could make out a nebulous shape emerging. Mrs. Weasley pulled out her wand and cast a spell that began drawing the smoke into the wand like a magic vacuum cleaner, and Harry could see, beyond the partially clearing smoke, the figure becoming increasingly distinct. It looked like a ball, save that in place of a smooth, spherical surface, and dozens of brightly coloured spikes protruded from a central pivot.  
  
As it slowly drifted nearer to Harry, he was able to see that it was ornately adorned. Various hues of scarlet, gold, ginger, lime, cerulean, and indigo danced across its glossy surface as it levitated over the floor and into Harry's hands. As the levitation spell slowly wore off, he was surprised as the object's weight almost caused him to drop it. Seeing Harry's struggle and surprised face, Ron and Hermione rushed to Harry's aid as the brunt of the weight of the object fell into his arms.  
  
"What on earth is inside this thing?" Harry asked incredulously. "Never mind that, what is this thing?"  
  
"I think it's called an Esmerita," Ron replied excitedly. "It's filled with sweets. Mum must have filled it to the top, judging by how heavy it is!"  
  
"Hmm. I saw something like this during my trip to Spain with my dad when I was eight. I think muggles call it a piñata," explained Hermione in a bookish way.  
  
"And it's FILLED TO THE BRIM WITH SWEETS!!!" Ron called out, almost jumping with giddiness.  
  
"Oh, Ron!" chastised Hermione. "Honestly, are sweets the ONLY thing you think about?"  
  
"Of course, Hermione," Ron countered cheekily. "Why do you think I'm so skinny?"  
  
Harry rolled his eyes at the antics of his two bickering friends as they snapped at each other like vicious piranhas. "So what exactly do I do with this?" he asked in an attempt to diffuse the fight.  
  
"Well, you have to break it open with a wand, a pole, or a stick," clarified Hermione as she turned her attention back to the highly decorated Esmerita.  
  
"Yeah, just pretend it's a bludger, or the head of someone you hate, like greasy Snape or the amazing bouncing ferret," added Ron with a mischievous grin, earning a dark glare from Hermione.  
  
Just as Harry realized that the three of them were alone in the living room, Bill returned, followed by a slightly ruffled Percy.  
  
"Hi, Percy," Harry said, receiving a low grunt in reply. "What's wrong with him?" Harry asked Ron quietly.  
  
"Dunno, Harry," Ron said, shrugging his shoulders. "He's been at the Ministry all day-I suppose he doesn't like his new boss."  
  
"What's wrong, dear?" asked Mrs. Weasley concernedly as she stepped into the room and saw her son's long face.  
  
"Nothing, Mum. Nothing you need to worry about."  
  
"Oh cheer up, Percy," Bill called out. "Come and have a go at the Esmerita. It'll take your mind off of things, if it doesn't do anything else."  
  
Percy shot a glance at his older brother, before shrugging his shoulders apathetically. "I'm too old to be playing such a childish game," He replied haughtily.  
  
"Awww, Percy, chided Fred as the twins made their appearance from the kitchen. I don't think you've ever played this game, even when you were young like the rest of us,"  
  
"I think that he's just too shy to admit that he can't do anything fun if his life depended upon it," George announced seriously, earning glares from both Percy and Mrs. Weasley and sniggers from everyone else.  
  
"Of course I can play this!" Percy exclaimed. "It's only a game after all."  
  
"Go ahead," called out Fred cheekily. "Be my guest. You can use your wand, since you're not underage anymore."  
  
Percy puffed out his chest huffily, with a determined gleam in his eye, as he whipped out his wand from within the folds of his spotless Ministry robes, and turned to the Esmerita, now floating in the middle of the room.  
  
"Reducto!" he shouted. As soon as the word left Percy's mouth, the Esmerita emitted an unexpected puff of smoke. Percy's reductor curse disappeared into its obscurity. A loud crash was heard as it made its way through the hazy curtain around the Esmerita, and judging by the intense volume of the boom, Percy's spell missed and had blown a huge whole through the wall. What had once been solid was now a splintered crater.  
  
As the smoke cleared suddenly with a rush of air, the unforeseen smirking face of Draco Malfoy, emerged. Malfoy's floating head contorted into a look of smug satisfaction as his thin-lipped mouth opened and formed the words of a spell.  
  
"Tarantallegra," he hissed venomously. A streak of electric blue light zoomed towards Percy and hit him square in the stomach, causing the red-head to begin a jaunty quickstep. Ron began laughing hysterically at Percy, but another shout from the transfigured Esmerita gave Ron his just- desserts.  
  
"Arachno Mottus!" shouted the smirking head of Malfoy. A stream of multi-colored wings flew from Draco's parted lips straight at Ron, who tried unsuccessfully to avoid the myriad of butterflies, moths, and spiders being hurled toward him. Mrs. Weasley had to stifle a giggle as she watched her son being engulfed in a writhing mass of wings and legs, many of which fell to the floor as Ron screamed and cried out in horror.  
  
"Spiders! Moths! Butterflies!" he screamed, madly clawing at the screen of insects and arachnids crawling all over his body.  
  
Sighing, Mrs. Weasley pointed her wand at Ron, or rather at the mass of insects creeping all over him, and cried almost lazily over the entire ruckus, "Finite Incantatem!" In a puff of smoke similar to that which had come when the Esmerita had transformed, the colours of the butterflies' wings and the hairs of the spiders' legs vanished from Ron's body. He stood there heaving, trying desperately to clear the feeling of prickly appendages and dusty wings from his skin. He shuddered violently as the last of the sensations left his body.  
  
Hermione turned to Ron, who was quite shaken: "are you okay?" she asked, trying to stifle a giggle; guys afraid of insects like that were more boy than man, in her opinion. In reply, Ron only shuddered again. Unseen by the humans in the house, the Esmerita stealthily floated behind Hermione.  
  
The Esmerita shot off another spell at Hermione. She shrieked as the Rictusempra curse hit her square in the hindquarters.  
  
"Fin-finite.HAHAHA.Finite Incantatem!" she squealed through massive convulsions of laughter. The tickling stopped at once, thankfully.  
  
"Vetus Accidio!" the flying head cried. A bolt of fine thread, which looked to Harry like a stream of Dumbledore's grey hair, flew directly into Harry's face. It took hold there and grew until it covered his whole body like a cocoon.  
  
"Harry!" Ron and Hermione cried simultaneously. They ran to him and tried to pull the grey, matted strands of hair off of him, but the more they pulled off, the more hair grew back. Harry's shape was lost behind the growing mass of grey hair, and Mrs. Weasley promptly fainted upon seeing Harry-or rather, not seeing Harry.  
  
The floating head of Malfoy resorted to laughing and taunting them all from afar as it slowly sailed out the door, knocking everything in its path of destruction. Had Mrs. Weasley still been conscious, she would have tackled the Esmerita for the mere fact that it had chosen to bounce over everything in her house. Being unconscious, though, the task was left to Harry, Ron, and Hermione.  
  
"What are we going to do about that thing?" Ron asked Hermione.  
  
"I, for one, would like to know what made it turn into Malfoy's ugly face," Harry replied. Hermione and Ron quickly turned to stare at Harry, as did everyone else in the room.  
  
"What on earth happened to you?" Ginny whispered.  
  
"What do you mean?" Harry asked. Hermione pulled out a sheet of paper from her pocket and cast a quick spell.  
  
"Reflecto panoptes," she said. The paper spontaneously turned into a reflective mirror, which she promptly held up in front of Harry.  
  
"WHAT ON EARTH?" Harry cried out as he saw himself. He'd grown a long, grey beard, which seemed to be the only hair on his head. His scar was hidden by a mass of wrinkles and a mane of tangled glistening white hair. Yet, something about the expression of his aged visage-the twinkle of his eyes and the familiarity of his contorted and crooked nose-reminded him of his venerable and wizened headmaster. After looking in the mirror again, Harry tugged at his new silver beard, which graced the wooden panelling of the living room floor. He was puzzled at the fact that he felt no different than before the hex was cast. After commenting on this, Hermione replied offhandedly:  
  
"Oh, it's only a glamour charm, Harry."  
  
"Yeah, you look sooo glamorous," added Ron jestingly.  
  
"Well, now that I know what it is. does anyone know how to stop it?" Harry answered darkly. "I'm going to decay before I get to Hogwarts!"  
  
"Keep your hair on," snickered George, "or you'll have yourself a heart attack."  
  
"I'm surprised that you don't know the counter curse, Harry. I would think such an experienced wizard as yourself would be able to stop it with the flick of the wrist. I guess wisdom really doesn't come with age," Fred continued, earning himself a clean slap on the arm from Ginny.  
  
"Don't make fun of Harry," she cried, "he didn't do this to himself you know," She had been awfully protective of him since second year when he saved her from Voldemort.  
  
Rolling her eyes with an audible sigh, Hermione pulled out her wand and muttered, "Rejuvenis!" Once again, a light flashed through the room and Harry felt a tingling sensation on his face as the wrinkles melted back into his skin and the grisly hair on his head and chin shrank back into its roots and returned to its jet-black colour.  
  
"Thanks," he breathed as he saw his normal appearance return in the reflection of the transfigured parchment.  
  
"Eh, we like you better this way," Ron replied offhandedly. "I don't think any of us would have been able to stand the old you griping about your looks."  
  
"Besides," interrupted Ginny, "Mum would have grounded all of you if you didn't change him back."  
  
"Speaking of mum," replied Ron, "how are we going to get her up?"  
  
"We can just use enervate," stated Hermione frankly.  
  
"Yeah," Ron replied, "but then she might punish us for picking on Harry. We have to figure out a plan so she won't know what happened."  
  
"Ok, so here's the plan:" George announced quietly, "We follow the others outside to try and finish off that Esmerita. And Fred, you'll wake mum when we reach the door."  
  
"Sounds ok, but if I get caught, you're all going down with me," the other twin retorted with a raised eyebrow. Everyone followed George to the back door which opened out into the expansive back garden with slight reservations, especially Hermione, who glanced concernedly at Mrs. Weasley. Just as Harry stepped out onto the terrace, he heard Fred's whispered: "enervate," before hearing the stirring sounds made by Mrs. Weasley as she came to.  
  
Harry could see Sirius and Remus relaxing on the lawn, slurping strawberry sundaes surreptitiously under a chestnut tree. Meanwhile, Bill and Charlie were chasing the bouncing Esmerita with their wands drawn. The Esmerita had invoked a miniature fire ball in the shape of a dragon which was currently zooming after a distraught Percy and snapping at his back.  
  
"Fontis," Charlie yelled, conjuring a stream of water from the tip of his wand, which effectively doused the dragon-flame in an instant. Percy, now panting, flopped down in exhaustion to recover his breath. When he finally managed to stand, Percy stalked over to where the twins were standing with innocent looks plastered on their identical faces, shooting them a venomous glare that rivalled Snape's intensity.  
  
"What?" the twins asked with mock bemusement, while the corners of their lips were twitching mischievously, giving away their culpability.  
  
"You two are going to be in BIG trouble for this," Percy admonished sternly, puffing up his chest haughtily.  
  
"What's the matter?" Fred asked mockingly, "You're acting like you've never played with an Esmerita before."  
  
"That's because he hasn't," George replied before Percy could say anything in rebuttal. "I'd be surprised if he could even play Quidditch, even with a Firebolt."  
  
"I'll have you know that I'm quite capable of flying, thank you very much," Percy replied huffily, puffing out his chest once again.  
  
Fred waved off Percy's comment offhandedly. "Oh, come off it, Perce. You know you can't fly even if your life depended on it."  
  
Percy opened his mouth to retort, but was interrupted by the Esmerita, which sent out another curse flying towards the former Head Boy.  
  
"Watch out!" Harry exclaimed, drawing his wand. Fred and George, seeing that their creation was beginning to get out of hand, launched themselves at the Esmerita and managed to hold it down, giving Harry an opportunity to destroy it.  
  
"Reducto!" Harry cried, sending a stream of sparks at the struggling Esmerita. Malfoy's head uttered an audible gasp before it exploded with a puff of smoke into a thousand pieces, causing a fountain of assorted sweets to fall down in showers onto the Burrow's lawn.  
  
Ron looked hungrily at the masses of chocolate sweets raining down upon him as if his birthday had come early. He opened his mouth to catch the candies and it was only when he had acquired some that he realized they were still wrapped. He then attempted to spit out the foil wrappers but they only amassed to a big blob of aluminium and chocolate drool.  
  
Fred and George wasted no time in gathering the heaps of wizarding confections into the various pockets of their robes until they had trouble walking around, burdened with their candy. Charlie retrieved his wand and motioned for vast amounts of treats to compile into a nearby litter bin. Harry, on the other hand, cautiously picked one up, looking at it warily as if it were another one of the twins' tricks.  
  
From within the parlour, a screech focused everyone's attention back indoors. "BOYS!" Mrs. Weasley wailed "look at this mess! What's going on here?" Her stumpy, awakening figure stalked out to the yard where the pranksters abode. Fred and George shared a quick glance, before they turned to their seething mother with bowed heads.  
  
"We just tried to add some more excitement to the Esmerita, seeing as it is Harry's first real birthday party," George muttered apologetically.  
  
Mrs. Weasley placed her arms firmly on her hips, before shouting, "Well you could have found a less dangerous way to find excitement in your lives. Those hexes were dangerous; someone could have been hurt, or worse, KILLED!"  
  
"Oh come on, mum," Fred assuaged, glancing nervously around him. "We wouldn't have let anything like that happen. Besides, we got it to stop, and I'm sure that everyone had a lot of fun!"  
  
Mrs. Weasley simply glared at her son, before sighing resignedly and returning to her kitchen. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, once she was out of hearing range, at the tension that had built up. George was the first one to break the silent reverie, by turning with a grin to Percy. "So, Perce, I'd like to see your so called great talent in Quidditch."  
  
"Well, uh, you heard mum," Percy replied meekly, "we can't cause anymore trouble."  
  
"There's no trouble in Quidditch," Fred taunted, "unless you're chicken of course." He then began to flap his arms like wings, "bock, bock, bock, chick-chick-chiicken." George also chimed into the charade by bobbing his head back and forth, pretending to poke someone in the air like a pigeon, arms flailing wildly.  
  
"Fine," Percy retorted indignantly, "if you want to play, let's play, but you'll regret this!" he added shaking his fist.  
  
The group chose captains, which reminded Harry of his muggle primary school days when he had always been picked last. Therefore, it was to his surprise when he was chosen to be a captain along with Charlie, another seeker. Following the knut toss which Harry won, the two began to divvy up the remaining team-mates. Sirius and Remus, who had been watching the sequence of events unfold from their resting places on the lawn, now strolled up to the group to join in the game.  
  
"We must play with the household rules," explained Charlie, conjuring a bludger that zoomed to and fro as soon as it appeared; a scarlet quaffle; and a hoop on each end of the back garden. Harry retrieved his father's snitch for the game, releasing it for its first game in many years.  
  
"Let me go over the rules," Charlie began loudly so everyone can hear, "This will be quite different from the quidditch that you're used to." Charlie paused for a moment to count how many players there where. ".9, 10, 11...hmmm.that may be a problem."  
  
"Why don't I just be the announcer?" proposed Remus, after seeing the uneven number of players.  
  
"Thanks for the offer. This means there will be two teams of five players each," Charlie continued, "Each team will have one seeker, one beater, one keeper, and two chasers."  
  
"Alright," Harry responded.  
  
"There will be one hoop on each side of the garden. Also, each goal will still be worth ten points, but catching the snitch will only be worth 30 points."  
  
Hearing this, the twins both threw mocking grins towards Harry and said, "Looks like you won't be able to save the day this time, Harry!"  
  
"Now, let's choose the players," Charlie announced. "Harry, you can pick first."  
  
Harry glanced around the small crowd of friends, frowning slightly in indecision. Harry had never been in this position before; he was unsure how to go about choosing the best players for the team.  
  
"Well, what are you waiting for? Pick me already!" Ron called out impatiently, interrupting Harry's reverie.  
  
Harry shook his head exasperatedly, "Alright Ron, come on then." Ron, who had been chosen as the Gryffindor beater the year before, grabbed his bat excitedly and rushed to Harry's side with a grin plastered onto his eager face.  
  
Charlie and Bill exchanged a glance before the former Gryffindor seeker gave a slight nod, prompting his older brother to join his side.  
  
Seeing that it was his turn to choose again, Harry looked back into the crowd and saw Ginny's timid face staring down at her slightly worn and much stained shoes.  
  
"Ginny," Harry said warmly. Ginny, slightly surprised, looked up before blushing and rushing to Harry's side. Harry smiled at her warmly to ease her nervousness, and Ron clapped her on the back. She glared at him as Charlie looked through the remaining players.  
  
"Fred!" Charlie called proudly. "We need a good beater!" Fred ambled smugly toward Charlie and Bill. He stopped midway in his stroll and quickly ran into the house. A moment later, he ran back out with his bat and rushed over to his brothers. Charlie turned to Harry, who was still pondering his next choice.  
  
"Who's it gonna be, Harry?" Bill asked.  
  
"Hmm." Harry mused. "I'm not sure yet." He slowly scanned the remaining players: Sirius, Hermione, Percy and George. Each of them looked back at him eagerly, and out of the corner of his eye, Harry was amused to see his godfather waving his hands above his head, making pointing enthusiastic gestures at himself. With a wide smile tugging his lips, he called, "Sirius, you're on my team."  
  
At the sound of his name, Sirius smugly strode toward his godson with a haughty expression. Charlie smirked at this, and shook his head slightly. "You know, you're not supposed to influence the captain, Mr. Black."  
  
"You accuse ME of manipulating a captain?" Sirius countered, feigning a hurt expression. "If you're going to accuse me of any mischief, at least have the decency of addressing me as Mr. Padfoot, master purveyor of tomfoolery and honorary member of the infamous Marauders."  
  
"Whatever you say, Mr. Black," Bill replied with a wink. "Let's continue, shall we, Charlie?"  
  
"All right, then," Charlie agreed. "Come on, George, you're with me." George bowed deeply and strutted over to stand by his twin, as the two began to converse in hushed tones.  
  
Harry took a breath and shifted his gaze away from the last two players who were patiently waiting under the blaring summer sun. The seconds ticked by, as Harry stared intensely at the grass beneath his feet and continued to debate whom he should beckon onto his team, feeling everyone's eyes bore into his skull. His first instinct was screaming for him to choose Hermione, as she had been his best friend for all these years at Hogwarts, but Harry felt sorry for Percy, who not only had to endure the continual pranks from the twins, but also the constant jests from most of his siblings. Lifting his head once again, Harry met the gaze of both Percy and Hermione, torn between the two, both of whom he considered as friends. As Harry's emerald green orbs met Hermione's hazel brown ones, Harry recalled the events of his fourth year, during the times that she had believed and supported him when others had turned their backs, as well as the Rita Skeeter article that slandered Hermione's name, making Mrs. Weasley's attitude cold towards the muggle-born for several weeks. Hermione, like Harry was an outsider in this family, despite the fact that they both were treated as the others in the house; she didn't deserve to be picked last in a home where she was already different.  
  
"Umm.Hermione, welcome to the team," said Harry quietly with a sheepish smile, as if still unsure of his decision.  
  
Hermione smiled back before pouting slightly, playfully hitting Harry on the arm. "What took you so long?" She took her place beside Harry and the others while Percy sauntered over to Charlie.  
  
The teams then proceeded to grab broomsticks from a shed in the back. Seeing Percy pick up a tattered, old Shooting Star, Harry recalled the twins' taunting jests, which reminded him of Dudley's snide quips and swift punches from his childhood.  
  
"Here, Percy," Harry offered, holding his Firebolt, "you can use it for the game today. Go show them what you can do!"  
  
"Thanks, Harry," replied Percy gratefully. They all assembled in the middle of the yard, between the hoops, and Remus commanded them all to mount their brooms. Harry and the rest of them swung easily over their brooms. Being old brooms, however, they were all off like a herd of turtles. Hermione, as in her first year at Hogwarts, had a bit of trouble, but after she had successfully conquered her broom's adverse attitude, she seemed as graceful as Harry in the air.  
  
Percy, on Harry's Firebolt, was literally flying circles around all of them. Ron heaved a long sigh of disappointment, forgetting just how slow these old brooms were. Nonetheless, they all made the most of their Quidditch game.  
  
Below them, Remus was pointing his wand at his throat and casting the Sonorus spell.  
  
"And they're off!" he shouted to the spectators-which consisted of Mrs. Weasley and the gnomes-who had come out to observe the game. He threw up the bright red quaffle, and all four chasers made a mad dash to catch it. "The quaffle's up," Remus shouted. "Which team will start the game?"  
  
Harry immediately soared above his fellow players and took his normal place fifty feet above the rest of his team, peering keenly at the game and scrutinizing every inch of the field below him. His perusal, however, was interrupted by Charlie, who flew up beside him.  
  
"Now, I've heard quite a few things about your quidditch talent and have seen you fly in the first task, Harry, so I won't go easy on you," Charlie called out cheerfully with determination glinting in his eyes.  
  
"Hopefully, I'll be able to give you a run for your money," Harry returned, with a smile forming on his face. This was going to be an interesting game.  
  
Their attentions were soon drawn to the game once more, as their team mates struggled for possession of the Quaffle below them. In a surprising move, Hermione dived downward steeply, using gravity to her advantage. She gained incredible speed, and pulled up at the last second as she was right beneath the falling quaffle. It fell right into her arms, to the delight of Harry's team. She smiled inwardly and used the last of her speed boost to get to the hoop.  
  
"And Hermione's got the quaffle! She darts between Fred and Percy.oh, but here comes the bludger! Ooh, excellent hit, Ron! She's going for a goal.but it looks like Bill's defending the hoop very well."  
  
Hermione raced blindingly fast towards the goal-considering the type of broom she was using. It wasn't easy though, as Bill came up to block her throw, causing Hermione to swerve dangerously around him and almost get hit by the bludger once more. She gained speed and now the hoop was less than three feet away; she saw the goal wide open and quickly threw the quaffle.  
  
"And Hermione chucks it-AND SHE SCORES!" Remus roared over Harry's team's cheers. Mrs. Weasley joined in to cheer, though five of her sons were on the opposing team.  
  
The game continued with Percy using the full potential of Harry's Firebolt to his team's advantage, scoring two consecutive goals and placing them in the lead.  
  
"This is going to be a close game," Remus' voice resounded through the patio. "Ginny has the quaffle; she passes to Hermione. Hermione double- backs and gives it back to Ginny. Whoa, this is incredible! Ginny just skilfully executed the Porski Ploy by leading Percy in an upward spiral and dropped the quaffle into Hermione's cushioning hands."  
  
This plan, however, was foiled as Fred shot the bludger zooming across the field straight towards the distracted Hermione. She, taken aback, dropped the Quaffle into George's awaiting arms as he veered to obtain it.  
  
"George is now in possession of the Quaffle folks, and he's advancing all the way," Remus continued excitedly, his eyes darting quickly to keep up with the speeding broomsticks. "Charlie's team scores another goal under Sirius' failed attempt to block. Sorry Padfoot, looks like you're too old to keep up with the young lads. Charlie's team now leads by twenty points!"  
  
The action prolonged as Charlie's team made major gains, pulling ahead by thirty points. Meanwhile, outside the immediate excitement of the game, Harry continued furiously searching for the Golden Snitch, swerving this way and that to dodge Charlie's merciless pursuit. In an attempt to shake off his formidable opponent, and frankly to create an uproar, Harry decided to try out a new move he had been perfecting since fourth year- the Wronski Feint. He furiously dived down, yet with total control, pretending to see the snitch. His scheme succeeded with flying colours, as Charlie sped after him, hunting feverishly for what Harry didn't really see. At the very last possible second, Harry pulled up swiftly, with his feet almost touching the grass below. Charlie was not fooled, however, and reacted a split second later, flying beside his fellow seeker. As Harry twirled upwards, he caught a glimpse of the golden glitter- for real this time- and darted towards it. Charlie did not miss this decisive action and pursued directly after, only a few moments behind. The snitch, on the other hand, acting like it knew it was being chased, quickly twisted its way around Ron and Ginny and went through Sirius' hoop with Harry and Charlie in tow.  
  
Harry slowly gained speed-no thanks to the broom he was on-and was about an arms length to the snitch when he heard Lupin shout, "And Hermione takes possession of the Quaffle.Oh! That was a close one. She skilfully dodges the bludger sent to her by Fred and." At that moment, Harry jumped off his broom, reached for the snitch, and crashed into Mr. Weasley as he opened the gate and began to stride into the garden, "Hermione scores! Yes! She scores. and. incredible! Harry just caught the snitch! Harry's team wins the game!"  
  
Mrs. Weasley would have burst into thunderous applause if Harry hadn't just landed on Mr. Weasley, causing her to run to their aid.  
  
Everyone settled on solid ground and followed Mrs. Weasley over to Harry as he slowly got to his seat, clutching his side and apologizing profusely.  
  
"Are you alright, Harry?" asked Hermione concernedly.  
  
"I'm fine.I think," muttered Harry, wincing slightly.  
  
Mr. Weasley and Harry slowly rose and brushed the dust off their clothes.  
  
"Don't worry. I'm used to this type of welcome, I mean. with six boys and all!" said Mr. Weasley jokingly, seeing that Harry couldn't stop apologizing for what had happened.  
  
Harry and Hermione were then drenched in a flood of praise as everyone cheered at the last exciting moments of the game.  
  
"Wow, Hermione. I didn't know you were that good!" said Ron, joining everybody's patting Hermione on the back as they all entered the house.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Authors' Notes:  
  
Cho: Wouldn't it have been great if the snitch went into Ron's room and the Chudley Cannon's started chasing it too?  
  
Harry: Well.. It's not in Harry's character to go chasing after a snitch in someone else's home!  
  
Hermione: Oh stop it you two! You've been at this for days!  
  
Ron: So what you guys think? Please R/R! 


	8. Prank You Very Much

Hermione: It's finally here! Sorry for making you all wait so long… Boys don't know how to do work.

Ron: Yes we do! …Otherwise this chapter wouldn't be here. We all know who the intellectual superior is here.

Harry and Cho: …Hermione.

Hermione: Hah! Serves you right, you little redheaded prick!

Ron: WHAT?

Hermione: …We have to write as the plot grows thick!

Harry: ANYWAY! Chapter 8! Enjoy!

Ron: aside Wanker…

Cho: Ron! thwap

Ron: What? I was just… Oh, fine. Chapter 8. Enjoy…

00000000000000000

**Chapter 8 - Prank You Very Much**

Everyone loudly entered the living room once more in a cacophony of cheers, still patting Harry and Hermione for their amazing performance on the Quidditch field.

"Honestly," Hermione started, going slightly red in the face. "We didn't do _that_ well!"

"Well come on, Hermione!" Ron exclaimed excitedly, still slightly breathless from his cheering. "You were the one who saved the day! Where on earth did you find all that time to practice Quidditch?"

"You really should try out for chaser when we get back to school," Harry agreed encouragingly.

"Are you kidding me?" countered Hermione. "Percy flew circles around all of us!"

But Percy wasn't paying attention. He seemed unable to let go of the Firebolt, with his knuckles whitening, as his cold eyes froze upon Mr. Weasley's oblivious form as the elder Weasley conversed quietly with his wife.

"Perce…are you petrified or something?" Fred joked as he noticed his brother's unblinking stare. When Percy did not reply, he continued, "Percy. . . hello . . . Earth to Percy." Percy still had no response while his face turned redder in anger until finally George waved his hand in front of Percy's insensible expression, summoning a response.

"What do you want," Percy snapped as he came out of his daze.

"Nothing, Percy. We were just congratulating all of you on a good game," Hermione explained, shooting Percy a confused look.

"It was nothing. Harry's Firebolt did most of the work," Percy replied tersely, before shoving the broomstick still in his grasp rather forcefully into Harry unsuspecting arms and storming out of the room

"So, what are we going to do now?" Harry asked as he rubbed his arms where the broom had collided, hoping to diffuse the tangible tension that had filled the room.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm starving!" Ron exclaimed excitedly—glad of the change of topic. "With all that Quidditch, I've worked up an appetite."

"Ron, we just ate less than an hour ago!" Hermione countered with a frown. "How on EARTH do you get hungry so much?"

"I don't know, it just happens," Ron answered exasperatedly. "At least _I'm_ putting the food to good use; I haven't seen _you_ grow since 3rd year!"

"That was uncalled for!" Hermione cried, whacking the red-head squarely on his forehead. "You just don't have the attention span to notice. I _have_ grown, haven't I, Harry?"

Harry blinked bemusedly at the sudden change of course in the argument. He slid furtive glances between his best friends, unable to mitigate the situation. Fortunately for him, the familiar voice of his godfather saved him from uttering a response.

"I know just what you need after a hard game of Quidditch," he called out in an innocuous voice as he held a large, jug adorned with a picture of large jack-o-lanterns grinning ear to ear. "Mrs. Weasley decided to make all of you pumpkin juice, since you all must be really thirsty," he continued, politely pouring the orange liquid into the multi-coloured glasses that Remus had balanced on a tray. Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys shared a nervous glance as they cautiously picked up one of the cups, holding them gingerly as if expecting them to explode at any second.

"What?" Sirius asked curiously as he caught the distrustful looks. "Don't you even trust your own _mother_?"

"It's not her that we don't trust," Fred muttered darkly under his breath as George nodded fervently in agreement.

Sirius huffed irritably before taking a long sip from his glass. Seeing the sighs of relief when nothing happened, he smirked smugly. "Come on, would _I _do that to you?"

Everyone, seeing how no Sirius repercussions yet came about from the pumpkin juice, took a swig. The cool orange liquid replenished their senses so much that, after their cautious spell check, they all gulped down the rest. Nothing happened, thank goodness—immediately. Slowly but surely, however everyone started noticing something different in the twins' countenances. No one could put their finger on it, and no one said a word, but there was definitely something wrong.

Harry raised an eyebrow. He slipped a glance at Percy, who was rolling his eyes in annoyance. The rest of the Weasleys had their eyes glued upon the twins. Once Fred and George were satisfied that they were still intact, the twins grinned and peered at their companions. "It's all right, everyone. Apparently, Mr. Black-who-is-too-old-to-prank has lost his touch."

Everyone, however, knew that this wasn't the case, as Sirius scrutinized the twins very closely, as if waiting for them to burst any moment.

"Fred," George started, "there's something on your face."

"Where?" asked Fred, putting his glass down on the kitchen table.

"…here…let me…"

"OUCH! You idiot! What are you doing?"

"It was just a stray hair!"

Just as the words were said, a tangled mass of auburn streaked hair began creeping out from the twins' heads, snaking past their shocked faces and bodies. Soon, only the white tips of their sneakers were visible beneath the puffy manes that encompassed the twins' forms.

"Wow," Harry gasped in surprise as he struggled to suppress a snigger, "You two look like twin 'Cousin It's."

Only Hermione seemed to have understood the joke, however, as Ron and the rest of the Weasleys watched bemusedly as she and Harry burst into gales of hysterical laughter.

"It must be a muggle thing," Ron muttered to Ginny with a raised eyebrow as he supported Hermione from falling over.

The laughter subsided within moments, as the identical ginger manes split, and a thick, voluminous layer of it fell to the floor.

Their bushy locks continued to break off and drift towards the floor like bright red feathers, and each successive bunch of hair that fell left the twins about three inches shorter. It wasn't long before the twins' horrified expressions peeked through the curtains of coarse fibres. Ron was the first to notice, however, that their eyes only came up to his waist.

"What the…" Ron stammered through his laughter. His expression shifted rapidly between vapid confusion and blind amazement as the twins emerged from their fountains of locks as twin house elves, complete with grimy pillowcases.

Mrs. Weasley, who ambled into the room promptly as the last of the twins' hair fell away, dropped the dish she was carrying and gasped in surprise. Despite their pointy ears, bald countenances, and short, lanky bodies, she quickly recognized Fred and George's faces. She burst into laughter when she heard them cry for her help.

"What on Earth have you two gotten yourselves into this time?" she asked with a stern expression on her face and her hands firmly on her hips.

"We didn't do anything, mum. Honestly!" exclaimed George in a high, squeaky voice that was not his own. "Please help us!"

"Oh, I don't know…" Mrs. Weasley replied doubtfully, with a smirk tugging the corners of her lips and an unusually mischievous glint shining in her chocolate coloured eyes. "I've always wanted some house-elves to help with the cleaning; it seems that today's my lucky day. You can start by cleaning up the mess you've made," she continued calmly, gesturing at the piles of hair on the floor.

At this, Fred and George shared identical looks of horror plastered on their now pale cheeks. "Mum!" they exclaimed desperately.

"Don't worry, dears," she mollified as she took in the looks of terror on the twins and the flabbergasted expressions worn by almost everyone else. "I'm sure the spell will fade soon," she continued, sharing a small grin with Sirius.

Sure enough, ginger coloured locks of hair reappeared from the scalps of the house-elves as the twin figures began to regain their lost height. Before the others' eyes, Fred and George stood with their own normal bodies—well, as normal as two teenage, six foot tall, redheaded twin boys could be. The mass of hair which had surrounded them in piles had also vanished from the wooden paned floor, leaving a shiny polished surface behind.

Everyone's gaze now rested on the tall figures of Sirius and Remus, who were both leaning nonchalantly on the door frame, peering innocently back.

"Well, Fred you have to admit that _that_ was a good prank," Sirius said, haughtily inspecting his fingernails when no one made any move. "After all, the fusion of a double curse into a potion isn't terribly easy."

"This means war, Sirius!" Fred exclaimed angrily.

"We'll see who'll get the last laugh, you old bat!" George fumed furiously.

"No one calls _ME_ old and gets away with it!" countered Sirius, just as angrily.

Without replying, the twins stormed out of the room past the smirking forms of the Marauders, who waved them energetically away.

"So," George said at the doorway in a whisper loud enough for Sirius to hear, "how much of that Colour Cream do you think we could sneak into his pumpkin juice tonight?"

"Oh, a considerable amount, knowing how much that oaf drinks," Fred replied in the same manner as he turned and looked shrewdly at the old Marauder.

Sirius simply pretended not to hear them, though, and a grin came to his face that told everyone that the innermost reaches of his prank-concocting mind were quite busy. Fred and George couldn't help but notice. As they walked off to their room to work on their next "project", Sirius heard them both shudder in the hallway. Mrs. Weasley sighed as she saw them up to their room.

"I hope that's settled," Sirius said cheerily.

"I doubt it," Ron groaned. "Those two will have the last laugh—you can count on that."

"We'll see about that."

"Oh, really?" Fred yelled from far off in the house.

"Yes, really!" Sirius shouted back.

"I wonder what those two are up to now," mused Harry thoughtfully as he gazed at the twins' retreating backs.

"I don't think you want to know," Ron replied as a loud boom resounded the building, followed by Mrs Weasley's shrill call.

"I doubt that they could pull anything off as elaborate as our prank," Sirius assured confidently. "They probably just went off sulking with their tails between their legs."

"I don't know, Padfoot," Remus countered with his eyebrow raised. "Those twins are quite formidable pranksters— they managed to turn you into a stuffed dog, after all. I would watch my back if I were you."

Sirius scoffed with a chuckle. "They learned all their best stuff from _us_; the masters are still the best." None of them heard a rapping at the window.

"Well, you just wait and see what happens, you—BUGGER!" Fred yelled as a loud _thump_ was heard on the stairs. A mass of red hair began tumbling down the stairs, and a loud _thud_ was audible with each successive drop, as was a different curse word each time Fred's head hit anything.

"Fred Weasley!" Mrs. Weasley yelled at the top of her lungs. "I heard each and every one of those!" George started laughing, as did everyone else.

"Did poor 'ickle Freddiekins bruise himself?" Sirius asked with mock sympathy.

"You made me do that!" Fred said harshly, rubbing his head.

"I did no such thing!" Sirius retorted.

"Oh, come on!" A huge fight erupted, mainly between the twins and Sirius. Remus stood there watching and smiling, though he did volunteer a few comments for both sides, to Sirius' chagrin.

"STOP!" Ginny yelled. Startled, everyone turned to look at her. She turned on her heel, walked to the window, opened it, and saw an official looking eagle owl standing expectantly on the ledge. Ron briefly noticed her signing something, and she accepted a box wrapped in brown paper from the post owl. Once relieved off the burden it carried, the owl hooted before stretching its large wings and taking off. Ginny took the package, smiling, and ran to her room.

After a few moments of silence, Hermione said, "That was…interesting…"

"Not as interesting as your face will be once I'm done with it," George said scathingly to Sirius. (Needless to say, the silence didn't last long.)

"Try me," Sirius countered with a taunting smirk plastered onto his face.

The twins instantly whipped out their wands with hexes on the tips of their lips. "_FURNUNCULUS!_" They cried furiously as one, but Sirius was too fast for them. Just as the identical streaks of light hit him, the Marauder held his wand before him with the steadiness of an Auror as the word, "_Protego_" flowed almost lazily from his lips. Fred and George watched with frustration clearly shown on their faces as their hexes reflected from Sirius's shield charm; they were about to utter another curse when Remus stepped between the three of them with his wand out, wearing a firm expression.

"Lower your wands; this is not the time for duelling." His tone, though quiet, held a sense of authority that commanded respect—soon Sirius, Fred, and George had pocketed their wands with sour expressions on their faces.

"Come on, Moony, you're supposed to be on my side. I was only trying to teach them a lesson," Sirius countered exasperatedly.

"He wouldn't have stopped us if he weren't on _your _side, _Mr. Black._" Fred spat."_You_ should be thankful that he stopped us when he did."

"Stop it, all of you," reprimanded Remus. "You all agreed on a prank war to settle your differences, not a wizard duel."

Fred and George exchanged glances, before turning back to Sirius. "Very well, then. We shall be seeing you soon." As the twins made their way back to the doorway, Harry saw them surreptitiously drop something small and clear, which had been cleverly hidden in the sleeves of their identical robes, on the floor behind them. Whatever it was vanished soundlessly the instant it touched the wooden panelled floor, leaving no trace of its presence. Raising his eyebrow, Harry exchanged a confused glance with Hermione, who seemed to be the only other person to notice.

"You're not escaping that quickly!" Sirius exclaimed with a chuckle as he strode swiftly after their retreating figures. Half way across the room, he halted his progress in mid-step. Sirius looked behind him with a frown. "My foot seems to be stuck," he called out in frustration.

Ignoring the confused faces of the rest in the living room, Sirius placed his other foot firmly down onto wooden floorboards. His face contorted in dismay as he realised that now both feet were rendered immobile by the floor. "What is this?" he asked sceptically. With a gasp, he realised that his feet were slowly sinking into the floor, which took on the functional semblance of quicksand.

He acted quickly and attempted to pull his left foot out of the leg-swallowing floor, but no sooner had his ankle cleared the surface of the floor, than the floor seemed to take on a mind of its own and pulled his leg down to the knee. He glared around the room as he continued to attempt to wrest possession of his leg from the voracious flooring.

Extrication seemed impossible; the harder he tried to pull his legs out, the deeper they sank. Harry was rooted to where he stood as he helplessly watched his godfather sinking into the floor, but Hermione seemed ready to curse the floor into oblivion if it didn't give Sirius up. Ron had that look on his face clearly telling everyone else that he had nothing to do with it and he _wanted_ nothing to do with it. Wishing that Mrs. Weasley were still around and able to do something about her wild floor, Sirius pulled out his wand.

"_Finite Incantatem_!" he shouted. Though a bright purple light flew from the tip of his wand and should have stopped the floor's consumption of his lower appendages, it continued to draw him into the depths below the house's foundation. "What's happening?" he cried desperately.

Suddenly, the unmistakable sounds of muffled laughter coming from the landing above him met his ears. Looking up, Sirius saw the identical smirks of Fred and George beaming down at him from the top stairway.

"Oh, it mustbe the _sink_ hole under the house," drawled Fred smugly as they made their way down the stairs to inspect the results of their magical mischief

"_YOU TWO!_You did this!" Sirius exclaimed furiously and continued to struggle even harder as his face turned beet red, reminding Harry ominously of Uncle Vernon.

"You know, you're only going to sink even deeper if you thrash about like that," George commented offhandedly from the hallway.

"GET ME OUT!"

"Not until you concede who the _real_ masters of pranks are."

"Never!" Sirius retorted angrily. "Moony, _help me!_"

Remus shook his head slightly in amusement, before stepping beside his friend. "Come on, Padfoot," he sighed, grabbing hold of Sirius's sinewy arm.

"Hurry up!"

"Calm down, Padfoot," Lupin responded simply as he proceeded to half-heartedly tug and pull Sirius's arm upward. "I'm doing what I can."

"Well, it's not very comfortable sitting in this gravitational pit, but by all means, just take your time," Sirius responded, with irritation and sarcasm dripping from his tone.

"Listen, Sirius," Lupin muttered softly so the twins couldn't hear from up the stairs, "if you show them you're angry, then you're letting them win."

"Well, I _am _angry," Sirius retorted heatedly, "and they're not winning anything."

"But you don't want _them _to know that," Lupin responded sensibly. "This is a battle of wits, you know."

"As enlightening as that is," exclaimed Sirius even angrier after Lupin's little lecture, "I am still stuck in the floor, in case you haven't noticed."

"Well, you must have gained some weight or something, because I can't get you out of here myself. Too many Pumpkin Pasties, I suppose."

"_Wingardium__ leviosa," _Hermione whipped out her wand as she fixed a determined stare at Sirius's distressing situation. Inch by inch, Sirius' lanky frame lifted out from within the floorboards, as he continued his struggle to release himself from the floor's grasp. Slowly but surely, Sirius floated up out of the ground, through the air, and back onto steady footing.

"Thanks, Hermione," Sirius uttered gratefully, while glaring darkly at Remus. "at least _somebody_ knows how to do magic in this house."

"Um, you're welcome Sirius," she replied sheepishly. "_Scourgify_." And with a flick of her wand, the floor rippled slightly, before the small, clear, marble-like object that the twins had dropped reappeared.

Just as Harry picked up the orb, Mrs. Weasley stormed in as suddenly as if she had apparated, with her face contorted in frustration. "What is going on here?" she bellowed angrily at Fred and George. "What have you miscreants done to my house this time?"

"Nothing at all, mother," announced George innocently. "Look, everything is all in order." No one said anything to the contrary, and from what Harry conjectured, Sirius had wanted to keep the pranks just between him and the boys.

"Well, what was all the racket about?" Mrs. Weasley countered, seething like a sabre-toothed tiger. "If I find out anyone's having a row—"

"No one's arguing, mum," Fred continued slightly sarcastically. "We are just all excited to converse with the masters of magic themselves, Messrs. Black and Lupin." At this, he winked in their direction, without his mother's knowledge.

"You better all behave yourselves, then," Mrs. Weasley threatened venomously. "Speaking of behaviour, where has your sister gone off to? I thought she would be here enjoying the festivities."

"She received some sort of package and ran upstairs to her room," Harry answered, he being the only one who noticed.

"Oh, I see. Well, tell her to come down soon—I've just started dinner."

"I'll get her," offered George, who traipsed hurriedly out of the room, followed promptly by his twin.

"_Those two_," Mrs. Weasley hissed, watching their retreating backs with suspicion. "I'm surprised that the Burrow has lasted this long with all their antics."

Everyone else shared an amused look, before returning their gazes to the harried woman before them. "Is there anything we can help you with, Mrs. Weasley?" Harry asked politely.

"Oh, I'll be fine, Harry dear," Mrs. Weasley replied kindly, while a look of sympathy flashed across her eyes. "You do enough work with those horrible muggles you live with."

"It's really no trouble, Mrs. Weasley. I'm glad to help out here."

"Don't worry about it, dear. You just take a break, Harry," assured Mrs. Weasley as she turned to leave the room. "Ron, go get your brothers and sister tell them to come down and help me out— this dinner isn't just going to cook itself."

Harry glanced apologetically at Ron as the redhead groaned and left, stomping loudly upstairs in protest.

"Well, I suppose that that's our cue to leave too. We'll be right back; we have some things to discuss— isn't that right, Moony?" Sirius announced slyly, elbowing his friend.

"What? Oh yes, of course." Lupin replied hurriedly as he fixed his friend with an inquisitive stare.

"Have fun, you two," called Sirius as he dragged Remus out towards the back garden.

"So, what do you suppose we should do, Hermione?" Harry asked, feeling slightly down for the first time that day. "After all, Mrs. Weasley won't let us help her with dinner, and the Marauders seem to be up to something, again."

"Let's just go and see exactly what the Marauders are doing," Hermione suggested, glancing warily at Sirius's retreating back. "I don't want a repeat of anything dangerous like Fred and George's most recent prank."

"I don't think that Fred and George would have let the prank go dangerously awry," Harry mused thoughtfully as they stepped outside onto the veranda.

"I'm sure that they wouldn't do anything like that _intentionally_," Hermione conceded, "but you have to agree that they do tend to get out of hand at times. There is always a line present, and they've just crossed it too many times."

"Well, I'm _sure_ that _we_ can keep Sirius and Remus in line" Harry replied with a shrug.

"They better not do anything dangerous, or Mrs. Weasley will have all our heads," muttered Hermione darkly as she gazed across the lawn and into the setting sun.

"They are experienced wizards, you know, so I think we can trust them," Harry considered pensively.

"Yeah, but they're the Marauders," countered Hermione sternly.

"That's all the more reason to trust them, Hermione," Harry replied confidently. "They've done a lot of cool stuff, like turning into animagi, and inventing the Marauders' Map."

"While risking expulsion in the process—or worse—death," interrupted Hermione.

"Look, I'm not going to argue with you, Hermione, but you know you're just as curious as I am to see what prank they'll pull next—no matter how dangerous," Harry reasoned calmly, raising his eyebrow.

Hermione glared at him for a moment, but sighed, before acquiescing. "All right, let's go then."

Harry turned his gaze to the back garden before him, expecting to see the sea of grass that had greeted him before. The sight that met his eyes made his blink for a moment in incredulity.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't this garden retain _some_ appearance of tidiness when we played Quidditch only a while ago?" he asked, staring out at the untamed wilderness that now stood before him.

"The garden must be in a bad mood," Hermione commented offhandedly, as if there was nothing unusual about this. "I read about something like this happening in_ Hogwarts_, _a History._ It seems that gardens in the magical world are quite temperamental; if they are the slightest bit unsatisfied about anything, they become angry and get out of control. The result is what we see before us— be careful going through that, Harry, there'll be lots of debris strewn everywhere."

"Hmm. Maybe the garden gnomes got to it or something," Harry commented, still looking intently outwards, fascinated by the garden that looked as if it had never been traversed before.

They ventured along their mini odyssey through the Burrow's back garden, which seemed more like a jungle in all the tangled masses of undergrowth and misshapen clumps of exotic trees, shrubs, and bushes. As Harry tripped for the fifth time over another gnarled log hidden in the dense overgrown grasses, he caught a glimpse of an old, decrepit shed in the corner of the forest. The two of them headed towards the dilapidated orange wooden shed in the back of the yard. The ginger coloured paint had started to peel from the wooden panelled walls, and the rickety door stood crookedly in its rusty hinges, almost as if it would fall apart at any moment.

Harry snickered snidely "they could be in there, that's a great place to concoct mischief."

"_Really_ now Harry," sneered Hermione sarcastically "I would have _never _thought of that."

"Well, let's go check it out," Harry suggested, standing on the doorstep of the ramshackle shack.

Harry tapped quietly on the entrance first to make sure he was welcome, before reaching down to the rusted doorknob and turning it. There was a loud bang from within, before silence greeted him once again. Hesitating slightly, Harry pushed open the door slowly in case a projectile came flying his way or some slimy liquid greeted him during his passage across the threshold. He stepped carefully inside, only to be greeted by a loud metallic clang, and only barely managed to dodge a huge splatter of what appeared to be green glop that had flung itself onto the wooden wall.

"What—" Harry began, turning his head around after examining the mess, only to be drenched by an equally large spatter of homemade ketchup. Literally seeing red, Harry sighed resignedly as he slowly detached his glasses from the bridge of his nose, and began a futile attempt to clean the sauce from its lenses using the corner of his shirt.

"Harry!" Sirius's surprised voice squeaked several octaves higher than normal. "I'm SO SORRY!" Several swift footsteps could be heard, until Harry felt a pair of hands briskly wiping off the largest globs of the sauce.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Sirius asked nervously

"I think we could ask you the same thing," Hermione's voice retorted angrily as Harry saw her blurry form come up to him with her wand out. She gently took Harry's glasses from his grasp and muttered, "_Scourgify_," before returning them, now cleaned.

"What are you doing with that, anyways?" Harry asked as he took out his wand and muttered Hermione's cleaning charm on himself, still miffed at being the unintentional target of his godfather's newest prank.

"Well…" Sirius began after nervously clearing his throat. "We were doing some last minute experimenting…but don't worry, you'll have your original hair colour back in no time, Harry."

Harry nervously fingered his fringe, and looking up, he saw to his horror that his raven black locks were now the colour of bright tomato red. "Great, at least now I fit in more with the Weasleys."

Hermione gaped incredulously for a few seconds before asking with a disapproving voice, "Where's Prof—Remus?"

"Well, he left after being accidentally splattered. I'm sure he's—"

They never managed to find out exactly what he was, because at that moment, the said professor unceremoniously burst into the shed, sporting a head of electric blue hair.

"Quick, you need to transform, Padfoot. There are Aurors here!"

"What!" Sirius sputtered in incredulity. "How could they have known?"

"There's no time for speculation. CHANGE NOW!"

The grim-like dog appeared just as the door swung open a third time, revealing the identical gasping forms of Fred and George.

"Help us!" George exclaimed.

"The Aurors are asking for our names and we need a place to hide!" Fred continued frantically.

The two of them sprinted across the room and ducked behind Sirius's catapult launcher.

"Nice hair by the way!" exclaimed George from behind the catapult in a sing-song tone.

"Don't push it, I know where you're hiding you know! And that valuable information just might slip!" replied Lupin in a reprimanding tone.

"FRED! GEORGE!" they all heard Mrs. Weasley yell from the porch.

"Oh, just wait here a second and make yourselves comfortable while I go and find them." Mrs. Weasley's voice carried across the lawn as she approached the shed.

"Do you think she'll see us?" whispered George.

"No, I think we're fine here."

"FRED! GET OUT FROM BEHIND THAT CATAPULT!" Mrs. Weasley yelled as she came in, with the Aurors in tow. The Weasley matriarch stalked towards the twins and pulled Fred and George out by their ears.

"Look at what you two have done now!" she bellowed in her sabre-tooth tiger mode, ignoring their protests.

"Mr. Fred and George Weasley, we are here to escort you to the Ministry to answer allegations of improper use of magic and ludicrous patents," the female Auror stated curtly in a nasal voice as she held out an official looking piece of parchment, sneaking curious glances at Sirius's animagus form. Her hooded partner flexed his muscles menacingly with his wand tightly clutched in his balled fists, and Harry could feel the Auror's hidden features glare at his godfather as the burly man turned to face the dark-haired dog slinking in the corner.

"There has to be a logical explanation to this," Remus began in defence. "I'm sure they would never have broken any rules."

"Sorry, Professor Lupin, but we have our orders," the Ministry witch countered stonily, her eyebrows raised as she took in his electric blue hair. Her partner leered ominously at her and approached with heavy footsteps towards the twins.

"Wait!" cried George desperately.

"Mum, you've got to believe us!" Fred exclaimed pleadingly.

"We didn't do anything, mum!" George continued, looking more agitated than Harry had ever seen him.

"You know that all our jokes are innocent in nature—"

"—There has to be some mistake!"

"You've got to help us!"

"We haven't done anything illegal—"

"WE SWEAR!"

"You have the right to remain _silent_," the female Auror interjected sharply before casting a silencing charm on both of the twins. Her partner placed a weighty hand on each of the twins' shoulders and made to escort them out of the shed. Harry glanced quickly at Mrs. Weasley, expecting her to rush to her sons' aid. Instead, he was greeted by the sight of an unreadable expression on her face, and he could tell that she was barely suppressing the quivering of her body.

Remus must have noticed her inaction as well, as he stepped forward once more in the twin's defence. "I think these actions are uncalled for, Auror McMillan," he stated firmly as his eyes flitted briefly to the silver badge pinned securely on the witch's robes. "What evidence have you against these two?"

"That's none of your concern," the male Auror stated through gritted teeth before being hushed by his partner. Lupin's eyes widened considerably as he glanced quickly between the Aurors and Mrs. Weasley in incredulity.

"Perhaps we should take this dog with us as well," the female Auror commented offhandedly to Harry's horror as she placed a restraining hand on whimpering canine to prevent his escape. "I don't think you've had it registered, yet, have you, Professor?"

"You can't do that!" Harry blurted indignantly, causing all eyes to turn on him. "You can't just come barging in here and start carting everyone off on sight! You don't even have a good reason for taking Fred and George!"

The Aurors exchanged a quick glance, before the slim witch stated seriously, "we have received intelligence that these _three_ have been engaging in a prank war." She paused, glaring pointedly at each of the pranksters—including Sirius, to everyone's alarmed astonishment. "My source also tells me that these _pranks_ have been wreaking havoc on the Burrow."

"We arrest all three of you on the grounds of exasperating Mrs. Weasley to no end," The gruff wizard announced as he removed his hood to reveal the highly amused face of Kingsley Shackleblot.

"You may consider yourself _officially_ pranked," concluded the female Auror, before her visage morphed into the smiling features of Nymphadora Tonks, complete with a head of spiked lime-green hair.

"TONKS!" Sirius bellowed as soon as he returned to his human form. "YOU NEARLY GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK!"

Harry burst into laughter along with the rest of the room at the sight of his godfather's bulging eyes as he took his fellow members from the Order of the Phoenix.

"Nice hair, by the way, Remus," Tonks continued with a wink in his direction, calmly ignoring his Sirius's outburst before turning to Harry. "Harry I know you consider the Weasleys family, but don't you think matching their hair colour is a bit much? Not that I don't like the change in style, of course."

Harry felt himself redden and averted his gaze, surveying his godfather's mildly indignant expression due to his earlier bout of shock.

"Well, I think the winner of this prank war is obvious," commented Remus with a chortle. "You had all of us completely fooled, Molly."

"It wasn't funny!" Sirius exclaimed with a pout.

"It was hilarious, Sirius!" Harry exclaimed, trying in vain to control his mirth.

"Come on, Padfoot, you're just angry that you got beaten so completely," Lupin commented truthfully.

"Yeah, you even beat _us_, mum!" Fred proclaimed fervently with awe. "Now we know where we got our talent!"

"Well, I hope you three have learned your lesson," Mrs. Weasley accosted in a stern voice as she steered the twins out of the shed, though the smile on her face and the twinkle in her eyes betrayed her amusement. "And now that we've had enough excitement to last us the rest of the year, I think that it's time for dinner."

"Sorry to interrupt your plans, Molly but there's something we'd like to discuss with you and Arthur," Kingsley uttered, with a solemn undertone clearly evident in his voice.

"Well, I think that we should take our leave now to your order business, then," Lupin remarked. "We wouldn't want to impose any further on your kindness."

"Nonsense, Remus," Mrs. Weasley countered with a wave of her hand, "It's no trouble at all having you here. The least I can is help you and Harry get rid of that ghastly hair dye. Now come along, all of you back to the house so we can start on supper."

"Here we are, now," Mrs. Weasley commented to Harry after she pulled Lupin and him into the kitchen, sliding a small oak box from her pantry shelf. "I know just the thing that'll fix your hair for you." She withdrew her wand from beneath the folds of her robes and tapped the lid once, causing it to pop open. Then, tucking her wand behind her ear, Mrs. Weasley proceeded to rummage through the contents as the sound of clinking glass met Harry's ears.

"Aha!" She exclaimed triumphantly as she extracted a small bottle of thick dark green gel-like liquid full of lumps and air bubbles. "It's Gilderoy Lockhart's personal hair treatment formula, especially made to deep clean down to the roots."

Harry took the bottle into his hands with a wary expression and glanced at Remus with a raised eyebrow, only to see him mock gagging silently behind the Weasley matriarch's back. "Are you sure this is going to work?"

"Of course it will, dear," Mrs. Weasley assured almost shocked that Harry would question a Lockhart product. "Gilderoy Lockhart himself brewed it, didn't he? And I've tried it myself after the twins pulled a similar stunt on me a few years back."

"I suppose I could give it a try," Harry muttered in reply. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"You might have to change your surname to Weasley, with their family rubbing off on you so much," Remus commented with a wry smile. "You go and wash that off first, then I'll wash off my hair."

"You can use the bathroom upstairs, dear," Mrs. Weasley called out as Harry made to leave the room.

"Where are you going off with that?" George asked as he spotted Harry heading up the stairs.

"Your mum gave me something that'll wash off this hair colour," Harry replied, pointing at his scarlet mane. "As much as I enjoy fitting with your family, I think I miss my black crow's nest, thanks."

"Suit yourself," George replied, heading into the living room to join the others. "That colour looks good on you, mate."

Harry shook his head with an exasperated sigh and resumed his trip to the bathroom.

"So what exactly is in this 'hair treatment formula' anyway, Molly?" Remus asked curiously just as the other members of the Order of the Phoenix filed into the room.

"Well, I'm not sure of the full list, since it's been a while since I last used it, and I didn't really commit the ingredients on the label to memory. I believe one of the active ingredients is dittany."

"Dittany?" Sirius asked curiously as he approached his fellow Marauder's side. "Do you remember what dittany did to Prongs on the day he missed that Quidditch match against Slytherin in our fifth year?"

"James Potter skipped a Quidditch match?" Tonks asked incredulously. "What in Merlin's beard could have caused that upheaval?"

"Did you have to tie him to a chair?" Kingsley asked jokingly. "No, I suppose even that wouldn't have worked— he would have probably either torn himself free with sheer determination or would have been on that broomstick even with the chair still attached."

"He was out cold that entire day, I remember, from that potions project on dittany he had to do for Professor Jigger," Remus recalled with a slight crease forming on his brow.

"That was the only time that James had ever missed a match," Sirius, oblivious to Remus's clouded expression. "We had found him on the floor in the boy's common room the morning of, and Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let him out of the Hospital wing for a week afterwards."

"Wait a minute," Remus began with dread starting to form on his features. "You don't think—"

A soft thump could be heard from above, and the two Marauders stiffened. "Harry!" they cried in unison before scrambling to exit the kitchen, knocking a mystified Kingsley onto the floor.

000

Harry slipped the bathroom door closed with a quiet click, glad for the brief respite from the bustle of the rest of the day. "This is turning out to be some birthday," he muttered with a faint smile on his face.

"Oh, good heavens, dear!" a wheezy voice exclaimed suddenly, startling Harry from his brief reverie. "What happened to your hair?"

Harry turned in the direction of the voice, and found its owner to be a very old and slightly cracked mirror. The haphazardly polished metal was flaking in many parts, and the state of the glass seemed to beyond the aid of a mere _reparo_ spell.

"My godfather happened to it," Harry responded wryly, before refocusing his attention on the bottle in his hands.

"I suppose Molly has given you something that'll help," the mirror stated in a haughty air.

"Yes, I hope so," Harry mused. "Mrs. Weasley said the potion had worked when she had used it on herself, but I have to take into account that Gilderoy Lockhart made it."

The mirror looked so appalled in reaction to his answer that Harry thought it would have been better to remain silent. "I think you're mixing up your words, boy. A Lockhart product should be _extra_ assurance to you, boy. Great man, Lockhart is, with all of his good deeds for wizard-kind, and I've heard only good things about his products."

Harry bit back the remark that the "great man" was in fact an absolute fraud, and instead turned to read the directions of use that were hand written in multicoloured ink with his former professor's own loopy and extravagant script:

As always with a Lockhart product, even Squibs and those with the basest of educations may enjoy the benefits of this bedazzling brew—the instructions are quick and easy to understand.

_Hydrate hair sufficiently with chilled tap, mineral, or purified water._ _Apply a copious measure of _Gilderoy Lockhart's Personal Hair Treatment Formula™ _to scalp and massage into strands from follicle to tip._ _Allow concoction to linger 5 minutes or until tingling sensation is experienced._ _Re-hydrate to disperse _Gilderoy Lockhart's Personal Hair Treatment Formula™ _from scalp._

Below this was a message scrawled in tiny and almost illegible chicken scratch:

_Note: If burning sensation occurs, discontinue use immediately. Gilderoy Lockhart is not responsible for any harm or permanent disability that may arise directly or indirectly related to the application of this product. Please use at your own discretion. Have a nice day!_

Harry shuddered as he finished reading the note, Lockhart's annoying voice reading the message to him as he glanced over the directions and disclaimer. '_Easy to understand, indeed,'_ he thought darkly to himself as he rolled his eyes. '_The only thing "easier" to understand than that is a runes text—honestly, you'd need to carry around a dictionary to comprehend everything that man's babbling about.'_

With an exasperated sigh, Harry turned on the tap water in the sink, placed his glasses onto the counter, and stuck his head into the running water. '_Better get this over with; I've already wasted too much time.'_

Once his mop of hair was suitably drenched, Harry straightened up once again and glanced at his blurry reflection. The water had finally tamed his wild locks when profuse amounts of brushing had failed, and his tangled mass of tresses lay in two clumps, firmly stuck to either side of his skull. '_Great, now I look like I have an ink splotch on my head.' _

The mirror seemed to be thinking along the same lines, but after seeing Harry's long face, it put forward helpfully "Well, at least it doesn't look like you just got out of bed anymore."

Uncorking the potion bottle, Harry poured out a handful of the viscous glop, suppressing a shudder at its cold and slimy feel that reminded him of the gillyweed he used in his 4th year. The dark green smelling substance that retained the almost overpowering scent of lilac frothed and hissed loudly as it bubbled on his palm, almost as if it were alive and trying to communicate through Parseltongue. Without further hesitation, Harry smacked his potion laden hand onto his scalp, and began to spread the concoction through his hair.

"So far so good," Harry mused as he briefly brought his hand down to eyelevel and saw that some of the red dye had already started to come off. He was about to continue, when the tingling sensation he had been feeling since he had started applying the potion escalated into a slight burning on both his palms and his head.

Slightly concerned, Harry washed off the potion from his hands to reveal a rather large rash forming on his palms, causing his hands and arms to redden at an alarming rate. '_I think I spoke too soon," _he reflected sardonically as he hurried to wash off the rest of the potion from his hair.

As he stooped down to dip his head back into the sink, a sharp pain suddenly attacked his abdomen, causing his knees to buckle and sending his chin slamming hard into porcelain. '_What's happening?' _Harry thought frantically in his slumped position, the copper taste of blood in his mouth from a bleeding tongue as he clutched his stomach with one hand and struggled to switch on the tap with the other.

Another surge of pain wrestled a whimper from Harry's lips as he reeled forward, desperately panting for breath. Gasps turned to wheezes as he felt his lungs burn with inner fire and his throat close up in a strangling choke. Growing dark spots danced into his vision as he struggled to utter a cry, bringing his hand to his neck in an attempt to break away from his invisible assailant. No sound escaped from him as his air passage completely closed up, giving Harry the odd sensation of drowning under water; no amount of heaving could draw precious oxygen into his lungs. '_This isn't good,' _Harry thought dryly before his eyes rolled up into his skull and he gave himself to the lurking blackness.


End file.
